Fig. 4.

Overexpression of LMP10 accelerates, whereas IKKβ inhibitor blunts, Ang II-induced retinal thickness and vascular permeability. A, Representative H&E staining of central retinal sections and quantification of central retinal thickness in WT mice injected with rAAV2-GFP (2.4 × 10¹² pfu/ml) or rAAV2-LMP10 (2.4 × 10¹² pfu/ml) in the presence or absence of IKKβ inhibitor IMD-0354 (30 mg/kg/d) 3 weeks after saline or Ang II infusion (n = 10 mice per group). B, Representative angiograms for retinal vasculature, isolectin B4 (red) staining of central retinal sections and quantification of fluorescence intensity (right, n = 6 mice per group). White arrows showed perivascular fluorescein leakage. Nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue). Scale bar, 50 µm. FA, Fluorescence angiography. C, qPCR analysis of VEGF mRNA levels in the retinas (n = 6 mice per group). D, Immunoblotting analysis of VEGF protein levels in the retinas (left). Quantification of the protein bands (right, n = 4 mice per group). GAPDH as an internal control. Data are the mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05 versus rAAV2-GFP-injected mice infused with saline; ^#P < 0.05 versus rAAV2-GFP-injected mice infused with Ang II; ^&P < 0.05 versus rAAV2-LMP10-injected mice infused with Ang II; ^$P < 0.05 versus rAAV2-GFP-injected mice infused with Ang II.