Fig. 2: rFGF1ΔHBS ameliorates diabetic nephropathy in db/db mice.
a Schematic diagram of the chronic rFGF1ΔHBS treatment schedule for db/db mice. b–i db/db mice were treated with rFGF1ΔHBS (0.5 mg/kg body weight) or buffer control for 12 weeks; littermate db/m mice served as additional controls. b–d Blood glucose levels (b), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels (c) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) (d) in each group. e Representative images of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, Masson’s trichrome staining, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining, immunohistochemistry staining with WT-1 antiserum, and electron microscopy (EM) images of renal tissues in each group. Scale bar, 50 μm for H&E, Masson’s trichrome, PAS, and WT-1 staining images; Scale bar, 0.5 μm for EM images. f–i Quantification of mesangial expansion (f), fibrosis area (g), WT-1-positive cells (h), and podocyte foot process effacement (i) in renal tissues from each group. Data are presented as the mean ± SEM (n = 5). **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001
