Figure 3
PAD inhibition reduces tissue damage and apoptosis. (A,E) Using the Chiu score for assessment, there was a significant increase in intestinal tissue damage with time that was prevented in mice undergoing PAD inhibition (blue). These findings are illustrated by staining the samples with hematoxylin & eosin. (B) Apoptosis was assessed using a TUNEL assay. Apoptosis was vastly increased after NEC induction, while animals with PAD inhibition (blue) showed significantly lower TUNEL scores than animals of the NEC group. (C,F) Toll like receptor 4 (TRL4) expression increased with time in animals with NEC in comparison to control animals. PAD inhibition (blue) prevented this effect. (E) Complement activation was assessed via a complement component 5a (C5a) assay, which showed a linear significant elevation in concentration after NEC induction. This increase in C5a was prevented by PAD inhibition (blue). Total number of subjects: controls n = 10, 1d NEC n = 6, 2d NEC n = 8, 4d NEC n = 10, 6d NEC n = 7, PAD inhibition n = 10, humans n = 9. Statistics: Mann-Whitney test and ANOVA.
