Research Paper Volume 12, Issue 6 pp 5384—5398
N-Propargyl caffeate amide (PACA) prevents cardiac fibrosis in experimental myocardial infarction by promoting pro-resolving macrophage polarization
Figure 1. Anti-fibrotic effects of PACA in a rat model of ISO-induced myocardial infarction. (A) Staining of fibrotic infiltration in the heart tissues. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: ISO and ISO+PACA (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg/day). Following 7-day treatment with PACA, heart tissues were analyzed by Masson’s trichrome staining. Blue stains represent fibrotic infiltration. Original magnification 200 X, scale bar = 50 μm. Cardiac fibrosis was quantified by taking six random images. (B) Detection of fibrotic infiltration on Day-3 and Day-21. Following the treatment with PACA, heart tissues were analyzed by Masson’s trichrome staining as described in Panel A. (C) Determination of α-SMA expression on Day-3 and Day-21. Following the treatment with PACA, heart tissues were analyzed by Western blotting for α-SMA expression (n = 6). Data were expressed as mean ± SEM. *, p<0.05, **, p<0.01, p<0.001 (ISO+PACA vs ISO).