Figure 5.

Cyclophilin D (CypD) knockout (KO) downregulates fibrogenic signaling molecules in kidneys with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Wild-type (WT) and global CypD KO mice (gKO) were subjected to UUO or sham operation for 7 days. A: paraffin-embedded kidney sections were used to carry out immunohistochemistry for evaluating the expression level of phospho-Smad3 (p-Smad3) (n = 5 or 6). Hematoxylin stain (blue color) was used for counterstaining. B: expression of p-Smad3 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) was examined by Western blot analysis (n = 5), and representative Western blots are shown. Anti-GAPDH antibody was used as a loading control. C and D: expression levels were evaluated using ImageJ software. Scale bars = 50 µm. Data are expressed as means ± SD. *P < 0.05 vs. sham; #P < 0.05 vs. WT UUO.