Figure 8: BAT activation reduces atherosclerosis by improving the plasma cholesterol profile.

(a) Slides of the valve area of the aortic root of β3-AR agonist CL316243- and vehicle-treated E3L.CETP mice were stained with haematoxylin–phloxine–saffron and representative pictures are shown. Scale bar, 400 μm. (b) Lesion area as a function of distance was determined per mouse, starting from the appearance of open aortic valve leaflets covering 150 μm. (c) The mean atherosclerotic lesion area was determined from the four cross-sections from b and (d) lesions were categorized according to lesion severity. (e) The smooth muscle cell, (f) collagen and (g) macrophage content of the lesions were determined, and (h) the stability index (collagen/macrophage content of the lesions) was calculated. The SQRT of the atherosclerotic lesion area from b was plotted against the plasma (i) total TG, (j) TC and (k) (V)LDL-C exposure during the 10-week treatment period. Linear regression analyses were performed. Values are means±s.e.m. (n=13–19 per group). *P<0.05, **P<0.01 (b–h: unpaired two-tailed Student’s t-test).