Figure 3.

Gut microbiota depletion preserves systolic function in response to TAC and prevents adverse cardiac remodeling

(a), Experimental design for gut microbiota depletion with antibiotics cocktail (ABX) during TAC in WT mice. (b), 16S rRNA expression measured by qPCR, from fecal pellets of WT mice provided with water or water supplemented with ABX treatment, 4 weeks post-Sham or TAC surgery. (c-e), Ejection fraction (c) and fractional shortening (d) were analyzed by echocardiography, and representative M-mode images are shown (e). Maximum pressure (f) and heart rate (g) were measured by invasive hemodynamics at the end of the experiment. Analysis of LV weight and tibia length ratio (h), LV anterior wall weight (i, determined by echocardiography), cardiomyocyte (CM) area (j), and interstitial fibrosis (l). k, representative hematoxylin/eosin (H&E) images of LV sections. m, representative pictures of LV sections with picrosirius red staining for collagen deposition. Dotted line: representative cardiomyocytes. Scale bar: 50 μm. Each dot represents one animal. ANOVA test with Tukey post hoc test; *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001; nd: not determined; ns: not significant.