Figure 4
The effect of apremilast on the development of bleomycin-induced dermal fibrosis in mice. Mice were injected with either PBS or bleomycin subcutaneously on the back five times a week for four weeks. In the apremilast treatment group, 1 mg/kg/day or 5 mg/kg/day apremilast was administered intraperitoneally concomitant with bleomycin. (a) Representative images of Masson-Trichrome staining of the skin in mice treated with subcutaneous PBS, bleomycin, and bleomycin plus intraperitoneal injection of 1 mg/kg/day or 5 mg/kg/day apremilast. (b) Dermal thickness (each group, n = 4), collagen content (each group, n = 4), and the number of αSMA-positive cells (at 100 × magnification; each group, n ≥ 7) in the lesional skin. Scale bar 100 μm. *p < 0.05. Bleo bleomycin, PBS phosphate-buffered saline, αSMA alpha-smooth muscle actin. See Fig. 1 for other abbreviations.
