Research Article

Protection of Lycopene against Embryonic Anomalies and Yolk Sac Placental Vasculogenic Disorders Induced by Nicotine Exposure

Figure 3

Lycopene protects the yolk sac placenta against nicotine-induced inflammation and apoptosis. (a) TUNEL-positive cells observed in nicotine-treated placentas. The enlarged structures of the boxed area. A, E: control group. B, F: nicotine group. C, G or D, H: nicotine and lycopene ( or ) groups, respectively. (b) A: Bcl-xL mRNA expression level. B: TNF-α mRNA expression level. Each value was normalized with GAPDH expression. Data represents . The lycopene groups were compared with the control (a) and nicotine (b) groups for significance (). Arrowheads: red blood cells; arrow: giant cells. Bar: 100 μm.
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