miR-145 Alleviates Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype Transition via ADAM17-Mediated ACE2 Shedding

Figure 1

SMC phenotypes in aortic arteries of hypertensive rats. 22 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group (con group, n = 10) or metabolic hypertension group (MHR group, n = 12). Standard rat chow diet was administered to the control group and a high-sucrose/high-fat diet was administered to the MHR group. Immunoblot analysis: (c–e) the thoracic aorta was collected to detect α-SMA-, SM22α-, and OPN-positive cells by immunofluorescence staining (green), and nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). (f–h) The quantification of α-SMA, SM22α, and OPN expression from panel (c–e). Western blotting: (j–l) The quantification of α-SMA, SM22α, and OPN expression in the aorta from panel (i) and the data were expressed after normalization to β-actin. (i) Representative figures from Western blotting of α-SMA, SM22α, OPN, and β-actin. (a, b) SBP and DBP were measured with the tail-cuff method every 6 weeks in groups. between groups, and between groups. ^# vs. baseline SBP. All the data are expressed as mean ± SEM. MHR, metabolic hypertension rats; SBP, systolic blood pressure; and DBP, diastolic blood pressure.

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