Research Article

Leishmania major Self-Limited Infection Increases Blood Cholesterol and Promotes Atherosclerosis Development

Figure 3

Atherosclerotic lesions and inflammatory infiltrate in apoE KO mice infected or noninfected (control) with L. major for 6 weeks. (a, b) Histology of the aorta from noninfected (a) and L. major-infected (b) apoE KO mice, 6 weeks after infection. (c) Atherosclerosis lesion area in aortic valve of noninfected (Control) and L. major-infected apoE KO mice. The results represent the average of the lesion area (μm2) in the aortic valve of animal from the control ( ) and the infected groups ( ), 6 weeks after infection. The major lines represent the means and the minor lines represent the standard error. * . (d, e) Inflammatory infiltrate around the atherosclerotic lesion in aortic valve of non-infected (d) and L. major-infected (e) apoE KO mice. (f) Average number of cells/mm2 of aortic valve of non-infected ( ) and infected ( ) apoE KO mice 6 weeks after infection. The bars represent the average and vertical lines represent standard error, * . (g, h) Immunofluorescence: CD11b FITC conjugated positive cells in aortic root of control (g) and L. major-infected (h) mice. (i) Anti-CD36 antibody Alexa488 conjugated in aortic valve of L. major-infected group. In (a), (b), (d), and (e), the sections were stained with H&E. Image magnification: 20x in (a), (b), (g), and (h) and 100x in (d), (e), and (i).
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