Persistent Dystrophin Protein Restoration 90 Days after a Course of Intraperitoneally Administered Naked 2′OMePS AON and ZM2 NP-AON Complexes in mdx Mice
Figure 3
Dystrophin-positive fibre counting. Dystrophin-positive fibre counting was performed on fibres with a labelling that covers at least 80% of the sarcolemma perimeter. Images were recorded and processed using identical exposure parameters. The graph shows the percentage of dystrophin-positive fibres detected in the muscles and heart from ZM2–AON- (black columns) and naked AON-treated (grey columns) mdx mice, calculated with respect to untreated mice, on sections representative of the total muscle. Quadriceps and diaphragm from ZM2–AON-treated mice show significantly higher percentages of dystrophin-positive fibres (7.2% in quadriceps and 4.5% in diaphragm) than the same muscles from mice treated with naked AON (reminiscent of untreated mdx mice). Negligible levels of dystrophin-positive fibres were detected in the heart of both treatment groups. Percentages of positive fibres in muscles from treated mice (ZM2-AON and naked AON) were calculated by subtracting the percentages detected in untreated mdx mice (up to 3%), considered as baseline (% positive fibres in treated mice−% positive fibres in untreated mice). The significance was calculated with respect to naked AON-treated mice (error bars represent mean ± S.E.M., , t-test, and , ).
