Fig. 3.

Histological and biochemical characterization of Fkbp8^−/− mice after TAC.

A, Hematoxylin-eosin-stained (HE), Masson's trichrome-stained, immunostained with anti-fibroblast-specific protein-1 (FSP1) antibody and wheat germ agglutinin-stained (WGA) sections of hearts from Fkbp8^+/+ and Fkbp8^−/− mice. Scale bar, 50 μm. B, Quantitative analysis of fibrosis fraction in Masson's trichrome-stained sections. The values are expressed as the mean ± SEM (n = 3). C, Cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes in WGA-stained sections. Data are presented as the mean ± SEM (n = 3). D, The mRNA expression of Nppa, Nppb, Myh7, Col3a1 and Col1a2. Actb was used as the loading control. The average value for sham-operated Fkbp8^+/+ mice was set equal to 1. The values represent the mean ± SEM (n = 5–7). Open and closed bars represent sham- and TAC-operated groups, respectively. *P < 0.05 versus the corresponding sham-operated group. ^†P < 0.05 versus TAC-operated Fkbp8^+/+ mice.