Figure 2.

Role of germacrone on podocyte apoptosis in STZ-induced DN mice. (a) Kidney sections in WT, STZ-induced mice and STZ+germacrone co-treated mice were magnified by electron microscopy, the red arrows point to the damaged mitochondria, magnification: ×7000, scale bar: 1 μm. (b) Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was evaluated in the above groups with a DCFH-DA ROS Assay kit, **P < 0.01. (c) Measurement of GPX activity was assessed with Glutathione Peroxidase Cellular Activity Assay Kit, **P < 0.01. (d) The expressions of GPX4, podocin, and nephrin proteins were detected by Western blots in each group, with GAPDH serving as a loading control. (e) Quantitative analysis of protein expression including GPX4, podocin, and nephrin. **P < 0.01.