Fig. 4

Endothelial Ndst1 deficiency abolishes interstitial fibrosis.To assess the interstitial deposition of fibrotic components, sections were stained for myofibroblast marker αSMA and collagen III. a–d Although there was some variability, the increase in αSMA expression (red) was significantly reduced in the diabetic Ndst1^f/fTie2Cre⁺ group compared to the diabetic Ndst1^f/fTie2Cre⁻ group (p < 0.05). Data was expressed as mean increase of αSMA expression compared to control. e–h Collagen III deposition was increased in the Ndst1^f/fTie2Cre⁻ group, but the increase was diminished in the Ndst1^f/fTie2Cre⁺ group (p < 0.001). i, j At mRNA level both collagen I and fibronectin were expressed higher in the Ndst1^f/fTie2Cre^- group compared to the Ndst1^f/fTie2Cre⁺ group (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 respectively). The diabetic Ndst1^f/fTie2Cre⁺ animals and healthy controls had comparable mRNA levels of collagen I and fibronectin. Representative photomicrographs were taken at 200× magnification