Figure 5. Endothelial ZEB1 inactivation reduces LLC tumor angiogenesis while eliciting vessel normalization.

(A) Immunofluorescent images (left) and comparison (right) of CD31⁺ blood vessel (BV) density in LLC tumors grown for 21 days in Zeb1^WT versus Zeb1^iΔEC mice (5 mice each). Nuclei, DAPI (blue). (B–D) Immunofluorescent images (left) and comparisons (right) of desmin⁺ pericyte coverage along BVs (B), collagen type IV⁺ basement membrane (BM) coverage alongside BVs (C), and claudin 5 distribution on BVs (D) in LLC tumors of Zeb1^WT versus Zeb1^iΔEC mice (5 mice each). (E) Immunofluorescence images (left) and comparison (right) of extravasated Ter119⁺ red blood cells in LLC tumors of Zeb1^WT versus Zeb1^iΔEC mice (5 mice each). The Ter119⁺ bleeding area is presented as a percentage of total sectional area. (F and G) Immunofluorescent images (left) and comparisons (right) of dextran leakage (F) and lectin perfusion (G) of BVs in LLC tumors of Zeb1^WT versus Zeb1^iΔEC mice (5 mice each). Dextran and lectin were intravenously injected 30 minutes before euthanization. The dextran⁺ area or lectin⁺ vessels are presented as a percentage of total sectional area or CD31⁺ area, respectively. All data are represented as mean ± SD. **P < 0.01. Differences were tested using unpaired 2-sided Student’s t test.