Follistatin, an Activin Antagonist, Ameliorates Renal Interstitial Fibrosis in a Rat Model of Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction
Figure 4
Effects of follistatin on expression of α-SMA in kidneys after UUO. (a) Expression of α-SMA, a marker for myofibroblasts, in the UUO kidneys, was examined by immunostaining. (A) Normal kidney. (B) Contralateral kidneys, 10 days. (C) Saline-treated UUO kidneys, 3 days. (D) Follistatin-treated UUO kidneys, 3 days. (E) Saline-treated UUO kidneys, 10 days. (F) Follistatin-treated UUO kidneys, 10 days. Magnification: ×200. α-SMA (green), DAPI (blue). (b) Quantitative analysis of α-SMA-positive area. α-SMA-positive area in the kidneys at 10 days after UUO was assessed as described in Section 2. Values are mean ± SE (). .
