Figure 3.

Effects of GDF-15 deficiency on lumen stenosis in the brachiocephalic trunk (BT) of ApoE^−/− and GDF-15^−/−/ApoE^−/− mice after 20 weeks CED. (a) Open chest picture. AA, aortic arch; CC, common carotid artery; SA, subclavian artery; black arrows: atherosclerotic plaques. Scale bar: 1000 µm; (b) Representative HE stained and (c) Elastica-van Giesson-stained histological cross-sections of the BT of GDF-15^−/−/ApoE^−/− and ApoE^−/− mice. Nc, necrotic core; Co, collagen fibers; SMC, smooth muscle cells; Scale bar: 100 µm; (d) Lumen stenosis (%) and (e) media area (µm²) were measured in BT by computer-assisted morphometry.