Fig 1. The effect of pressure conditions on transgene expression in the heart.

a, Luciferase expression in the heart induced by various degrees of suction pressure. The heart was suctioned at −30, −45, −60, −75, and −85 kPa following intravenous injection of pCMV-Luc solution (100 μg/200 μL/head). b, Luciferase expression in the heart induced by tissue suction with devices with different inner diameters. Suction devices I, II, and III were used for cardiac transfection. c, Luciferase expression in the heart was induced by tissue suction with various pressure hold times. The heart was suctioned at −75 kPa with pressure holding times of 0, 1, and 3 s. Each item represents the pressure supply-hold-release time. a–c, The transgene expression was determined by luciferase assay at 6 h after transfection. Open columns and open dots represent the mean and individual data, respectively (n = 3).