Fig. 9.

Protective effect of BCA on bleomycin-induced pathological changes

After treatment with BCA (5 mg/kg) or (10 mg/kg) or pirfinidone (50 mg/kg) vehicle, lungs were isolated and subjected for histopathology. A and B) Representative pictures (10 ×) of A) H&E-stained, B) Masson's trichrome-stained sections. The Black arrow points at typical areas of fibrosis, manifesting as group of cells with protruding cytoplasm (myofibroblasts). C, D and E) Immunohistochemistry for FN-I, COL1A1 and E-cad in lung sections. The black arrows at typical areas represent the increased expression of protein. Images were taken under original magnification 20 ×. Graphs in panels represent the score of F) Fibrosis and G) Ashcroft score, score numbers of 0–8, were evaluated by experienced pathologists in a blinded fashion. H) Table represents the semi-quantitative evaluation of protein expression (FN-I, COL1A1 and E-cad) in specified treatment groups. Data was expressed as Mean ± S.E.M. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001 vs. the BLM alone group.