FIGURE 2.

NRG‐1 shows no effect on myocardial capillary density but mitigates myocardial apoptosis. A, Immunohistochemical analysis of CD31 was performed to evaluate the myocardial capillary density. Capillary density was assessed based on the capillary/myocyte nucleus (C/M) values. Magnification: 200X. The CD31⁺ capillary endothelial cells are shown in brown. Myocardial sections were counterstained with haematoxylin (nuclei are stained blue). B, The percentage of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL)‐positive cells among the total number of cells. C, Representative myocardial sections subjected to the TUNEL assay. TUNEL‐positive cells are shown in green. The 4′,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole (DAPI)‐stained nuclei are shown in blue. The cardiomyocytes stained with anti‐α‐SCA antibody are shown in red. Data are represented as mean ± standard error (n = 6; *P < .05 vs CON; ***P < .001 vs. CON; ##P < .01 vs IR). CON, sham‐operated control; IR, ischaemia‐reperfusion; NRG‐1, IR + NRG‐1