Figure 5.

Effect of diet-induced carbamylation on aortic elastic fiber stiffness and aortic pulse wave velocity in WT mice. (A) Representative atomic force microscopy pictures showing the Young's modulus (YM) were acquired in 10 μm cross-sections of WT mice aortas using a Peak Force QNM mode. Mice were fed for 3 weeks with water supplemented with 1 mM NaCl (control) or 1 mM NaCNO. (B) Quantification of the YM [expressed in kilopascals (kPa)] was carried out directly on elastic fibers and on the inter-fiber spaces. (C) Aortic pulse wave was measured at the thoracic and abdominal levels by two Doppler probes in WT mice. Results of aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) were expressed in meters per second (m/s). For (B) and (C), results were presented as boxplots, in which the error bars represent minimum and maximum values, the horizontal bars and the crosses indicate median and mean values, respectively, and the extremities of the boxes indicate interquartile ranges. Values were compared using the non-parametric Mann–Whitney's U test (ns not significant, **p < 0.01).