Figure 3

Arginase inhibition prevented mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in native low-density lipoprotein (nLDL)-stimulated human aortic smooth muscle cells (hAoSMCs). Fluorescence intensities of Rhod-2 AM and MitoSox-Red were measured after nLDL stimulation for 30 min. A representative image is presented in (a), and the fluorescence intensities of Rhod-2/AM (b) and MitoSox-Red (d) from three independent experiments are presented as bar graphs. At least five images were obtained for each experiment. *Vs nLDL, P<0.05; #vs nLDL, P<0.05. Scale bar is 10 μm. (c) Starved cells were incubated with L-arginine (L-Arg), L-ornithine (L-Orn), spermine (Spm), spermidine (Spd) and putrescine (Put) at 100 μM for 3 h, and the change in fluorescence intensity in each image was measured. *Vs untreated, P<0.05.