Table 1.
Serum lipid profile data (Mean±SD).
Table 2.
Hemodynamic and echocardiography data (mean±SD).
Fig 1.
Vessel wall thickness (mean±SEM) measured by high-frequency ultrasound imaging of the aortic arch measured at (A) the lesser curvature of the aortic arch, and (B) at the origin of the brachiocephalic artery. Images illustrate examples obtained from C57BL/6J(C) and ApoE-/- mouse (D) at 32 weeks.
In the ApoE-/- mouse, there was a focal plaque detected in the proximal brachiocephalic artery (white arrow) and severe thickening of the lesser curvature (white arrows). *P<0.05 versus ApoE-/- 16WK. #P<0.05 versus ApoE-/- 24WK. △P<0.05 versus ApoE-/- 32WK.
Fig 2.
Masson trichrome stains of the ascending aorta in ApoE-/- mice.
(A) Image from ApoE-/- mice at 8 weeks showed mild intimal thickening and sparse monocytes adhesion to the endothelium; (B) Small plaques was detected at 16 weeks; (C) Typical plaques with lipid core formation at 24 weeks; (D) Big plaques with lipid-rich core, necrosis region and inflammatory cells infiltration at 32 weeks. (E) Mean (±SEM) plaque area (ratio to the vessel area) increased with age for ApoE-/- mice (Spearman rank correlation coefficient 0.92; P<0.001). * P<0.05 versus ApoE-/- 8WK. #P<0.05 versus ApoE-/- 16WK. △P<0.05 versus ApoE-/- 24WK. †P<0.05 versus ApoE-/- 32WK.
Fig 3.
A. Molecular imaging signal intensity (mean±SEM) for VCAM-1 and for control nontargeted microbubbles. Examples of molecular imaging of the ascending aorta and arch in a 32 weeks of age ApoE-/- mouse with (B) VCAM-1–targeted, (C) control microbubbles. * P<0.05 versus control microbubble and compared to corresponding data in wild-type mice.
Fig 4.
Mac-2 staining illustrating differences monocyte/macrophage accumulation in the different age groups of Apo E -/- mice.
(A) 8 weeks of age; (B) 16 weeks of age; (C) 24 weeks of age; and (D) 32 weeks of age. (E) Mean (±SEM) area staining positive for Mac-2 increased with age in ApoE-/- mice (Spearman rank correlation coefficient 0.89; P<0.001). (F) Western blot analysis of VCAM-1 expression of the ascending aorta in ApoE-/- and C57BL/6J mice. In ApoE-/- mice, VCAM-1 expression in the ascending aorta increased with the age.