Figure 3
Effects of LH-21 in the islets of Langerhans and the liver. (A) Macrophage infiltration in the islets was assessed by immunohistochemistry with the specific marker F4/80. Quantification of immunostaining within islets revealed increased macrophage infiltration in 45% HFD mice, with no differences between vehicle- and LH-21-injected mice. The images are representative of islets from four mice each group and four different sections from each pancreas; one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni’s post-test, *p < 0.05 versus control. (B) Apoptosis in islet cells was assessed by a specific apoptosis kit. The number of apoptotic cells was increased in islets from 45% HFD-vehicle mice, while there was no increased apoptosis in islets from 45% HFD-LH-21 mice when compared to control mice. (C) Fat accumulation in the liver was studied by red-oil O staining of hepatic sections. Quantification of this specific marker revealed increased fatty content in the liver of 45% HFD mice, both vehicle- and LH-21-injected mice. (D) Macrophage infiltration in the liver was assessed by immunohistochemistry with the specific marker F4/80. These sections were counterstained with haematoxylin. Quantification of immunostaining in the liver revealed increased macrophage infiltration in 45% HFD-vehicle when compared to control-vehicle mice, but no increase was detected in 45% HFD-LH-21 mice. (E) Apoptosis in the liver was assessed by a specific apoptosis kit. The number of apoptotic cells was increased in the livers of both 45% HFD-vehicle and 45% HFD-LH-21 mice when compared to control-vehicle mice. (A,B) The images are representative of islets from four mice in each group and four different sections from each pancreas; one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni’s post-test, ***p < 0.001 versus control, ###p < 0.001 versus 45% HFD-vehicle. (C-E) The images are representative of livers from four mice in each group and four different sections from each liver; one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni’s post-test, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 versus control-vehicle, #p < 0.05 versus 45% HFD-vehicle.
