Fibroblast Growth Factor-9 Activates c-Kit Progenitor Cells and Enhances Angiogenesis in the Infarcted Diabetic Heart

Figure 4

FGF-9 promotes c-Kit activation and endothelial cell differentiation in post-MI C57BL/6 and db/db mice. Representative images are shown in (a) demonstrating c-Ki cells in red (A, E, I, M, Q, and U), CD3 cells in green (B, F, J, N, R, and V), total nuclei in blue (C, G, K, O, S, and W), and merged images (D, H, L, P, T, and X). Enlarged images depicting colocalization of c-Ki and CD3 cells are presented in yellow boxes in (a) (D, H, L, P, T, and X). Scale bar = 100 μm (b) Histogram of quantified c-Ki/CD3 cells in C57BL/6 and db/db infarcted hearts suggest FGF-9 enhances c-Kit activation and EC differentiation. versus MI. EC = endothelial cell.

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