FIGURE 5.

Exendin‐4 restores microvascular patency of capillary negatively affected by I/R injury. (a) Representative images of capillaries after I/R. I/R‐induced pericyte contraction narrowed the lumen diameter and even completely blocked the capillary (in white dotted box). (b) Changes in diameter and pericyte soma width after I/R. (c and d) perfusion of exendin‐4 relieved the contracted pericyte and dilated narrow, injured capillaries (increasing the capillary diameter). The red lines indicate the lumen diameter. The yellow arrow indicates the pericyte soma. Student's t‐test and paired t‐tests were performed. N is indicated in each column of the graph. In (b), ^* P < .05, significantly different from Normal (b); in (d), ^* P < .05, significantly different from I/R. EX‐4, exendin‐4. I/R, ischaemia–reperfusion