FIGURE 1.

HO-1 inducer hemin ameliorates atherosclerosis in ApoE^-/- mice. Male 8-week old ApoE^-/- mice fed on a western-type diet (high-fat diet, HFD) were received an intraperitoneal injection of hemin (hemin group, 30 mg/kg/day, n = 6), Tin-protoporphyrin IX (SnPP group, 10 mg/kg/day, n = 10) and vehicle (control group, n = 8) once every other day for 10 weeks. (A) Weekly body weight of mice on HFD and under pharmacological challenges. (B,C) Plasma lipids profiles. Plasma collected from peripheral blood was subjected to the biochemical analysis of glucose, total triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and total cholesterol (TCHO). (D)Aortas, (E) brachiocephalic arteries, and (F) aortic roots collected from three groups were subjected to histological and morphometric analysis. (D) Representative images of En face oil red O (ORO) staining (left) and quantitative analysis of the ORO (+) staining area over total aorta. Aorta lesions are identified by dark red areas after ORO staining. Data are expressed as mean ± SD. (E) Representative images of lesion morphology in brachiocephalic artery. Cells were stained with H&E (upper panel), lipid content (red) was stained with ORO (middle panel), and collagen (blue) was stained with Masson’s Trichrome (lower panel). (F) Morphometric and histological analyses of the lesions in aortic sinus/roots. Representative cross-sections of the aortic roots were shown. Cells were stained with H&E (upper panel), lipid content was stained with ORO (middle panel), and collagen was stained with Masson’s Trichrome (lower panel). Data were expressed as mean ± SD. n (control) = 8, n (hemin) = 6, n (SnPP) = 10. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ***p < 0.0001 (One-way ANOVA).