Fig. 4.

Both dichloroacetate (DCA) and shikonin reduce renal cell apoptosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-injured kidneys. C57BL/6 male mice were treated with PBS versus DCA or vehicle solution versus shikonin and subjected to UUO for 7 days. Kidneys were fixed for paraffin-embedded sections. Kidneys were stained by a TUNEL assay to detect apoptosis. Data are expressed as means ± SD; n is the repetition number of parallel experiments. A: representative images of PBS- or DCA-treated kidneys by TUNEL staining. CON, contralateral kidneys; UUO7D, kidneys with 7-day UUO injury. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. B: TUNEL-positive cells counted in PBS- or DCA-treated kidneys after 7-day UUO injury (n = 5, *P = 0.027 and ΔP = 0.043). C: representative images of vehicle solution- or shikonin-treated kidneys by TUNEL staining. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. D: TUNEL-positive cells counted in vehicle solution- or shikonin-treated kidneys after 7-day UUO injury (n = 5, *P = 0.040 and ΔP = 0.036).