Figure 2

Myh11^∆K/∆K ascending aortas showed phenotypes of medial degeneration. (A) Representative architecture of aortic wall (ascending, descending and abdominal aorta) from 12-week-old WT and Myh11^∆K/∆K mice. Cross-sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (HE), Elastica van Gieson (EVG, for elastin) and Masson trichome (MT, for collagen; scale bars = 50 µm, × 400). Myh11^∆K/∆K aortas showed partial tears of elastic fibres and an increased thickness of media and adventitia. (B) Morphometric parameters of WT, Myh11^∆K/+ and Myh11^∆K/∆K ascending thoracic aortas. Circumference length did not differ between the WT, Myh11^∆K/+ and Myh11^∆K/∆K aortas (left, n = 5), while the media thickness (middle, n = 5) and adventitia thickness (right, n = 5) of the Myh11^∆K/∆K aortas were significantly increased compared to those of the WT aortas. ** p < 0.01, one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test. (C) Gross appearance of a shunt vessel between the distal arch and pulmonary artery, considered as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), in 12-week-old Myh11^∆K/∆K mice.