Crystalline Ultrastructures, Inflammatory Elements, and Neoangiogenesis Are Present in Inconspicuous Aortic Valve Tissue
Figure 1
Immunohistochemical pattern of inflammatory infiltrate and neovascular endothelial cells in microscopically calcified (ECC) and noncalcified (ECN) areas, as well as of surface endothelial cells (ECS) in aortic valves from patients with calcific aortic stenosis. (a) Hematoxylin-Eosin-Saffron staining, note multiple capillary neovessels near calcified area (arrows); (b) CD3+ lymphocytes in the range of neovessels (asterisks) near calcific lesions; (c) CD117+ cells corresponding to mast cells are sparsely present. (d) Neovessels of all subgroups are highlightened by FVIII staining (here: ECC) (e) CXCL12 (ECC); (f) CXCL12 (ECN); (g) CXCR4 (ECC); (h) CXCR4 (ECN); (i) IL-6 (ECC); (j) VEGF in surface endothelial cells (arrows on ECS); (k) VEGFR (arrows on ECC); (l) VEGFR (arrows on ECN). Images (a),(d),(f),(g),(h),(i),(j), and (k): magnification ×100; images (b),(c),(e), and (l): magnification ×200.
