Figure 5
VASH1 protein transfer restores cavernous endothelial cell–cell junction proteins and induces eNOS phosphorylation in diabetic mice. (a) Occludin (green) and claudin-5 (green) staining in cavernous tissue from age-matched control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice 2 weeks after receiving repeated intracavernous injections of PBS (days − 3 and 0) or VASH1 protein (days − 3 and 0; 4 μg/20 μL). Scale bar = 100 µm. (b,c) Occludin and claudin-5-immunopositive areas were quantified by Image J. Each bar depicts the mean (± SE) values from N = 6 animals per group. *P < 0.05, ***P < 0.001 vs. control group. #P < 0.05, ###P < 0.001 vs. PBS-treated DM group. (d) Phospho-eNOS (p-eNOS, green) and PECAM-1 (red) staining in cavernous tissue from each group of mice. (e) P-eNOS-immunopositive areas were quantified by Image J. Each bar depicts the mean (± SE) values from N = 6 animals per group. *P < 0.05 vs. control group. #P < 0.05 vs. PBS-treated DM group. (f) Representative Western blots for phospho-eNOS and eNOS in each group of mice. (g) Relative ratio of phospho-eNOS compared with that of eNOS. Each bar depicts the mean (± SE) values from N = 4 animals per group. ***P < 0.001 vs. control group. ###P < 0.001 vs. PBS-treated DM group. DM diabetes mellitus. Full length blot as well as the related images available in the supplementary data.
