Fig. 2

Effect of hypoxia on RVSP and RVH. Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to normoxia or hypoxia for four weeks (Experiment 1). A The RVSP was measured by a micromanometer catheter. B Fulton index. C Representative microphotographs of pulmonary arteries after EM staining. The smooth muscle area was calculated and the results are expressed as mean ± SEM of 8 to 10 animals. *P < 0.05 versus normoxia group. D–F The expressions of PPAR- γ (D), apelin (E), and active caspase-3 (F) in the lung tissues determined by western blotting. Representative immunoblots (top panels) and bar graphs (bottom panel) are shown. The results are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 3 in each group). *P < 0.05 versus normoxia group. G Representative microphotographs of the pulmonary arteries from normoxia and hypoxia group after TUNEL staining. TUNEL-positive cells are indicated by a red arrow. The graph represents the percentage of TUNEL-positive nuclei in the medial smooth muscle layer (n = 3 in each group)