Figure 1.

Evaluation of atherosclerotic lesions. Fifteen-week-old female low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice (LDLR-KO) mice fed an atherogenic Western-type diet were treated for eight weeks with the d-[113–122]apoJ peptide (n = 12), scrambled peptide (n = 8) or vehicle (control, n = 8). Peptides were administered subcutaneously three days every week (200 µg in 100 µL of saline), as described in the Methods. After euthanasia, hearts were collected, embedded in optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound, and the aortic arch was sectioned every 20 µm. Lesion areas were stained with Oil red O, and the surface size was quantified using AxioVision image analysis software. (a) Lesion size in four consecutive sections of the proximal aorta. Data are shown as box-plot graphs. Bars indicate p < 0.05 vs. control or scramble mice. (b–d) are representative lesions of mice treated with vehicle, scramble or d-[113–122]apoJ peptide, respectively.