Fig. 2: Plasma LDL levels positively correlate with inflammation and lipid accumulation in the aortic valve. | Nature Communications

Fig. 2: Plasma LDL levels positively correlate with inflammation and lipid accumulation in the aortic valve.

From: Single-cell transcriptomics reveal cellular diversity of aortic valve and the immunomodulation by PPARγ during hyperlipidemia

Fig. 2: Plasma LDL levels positively correlate with inflammation and lipid accumulation in the aortic valve.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

a–c Flow cytometry analyses of the aortic valves of C57BL/6 J, Apoe−/−, and Ldlr−/− mice fed a chow diet (chow) or western diet (WD) for 10 weeks (n = 5). Representative plot of leukocytes (a), percentage of leukocytes, macrophages, and macrophage subsets (b), and correlations between the percentage of MHC-IIhi CD11c+ CD206- macrophages and blood lipid profiles of WD-fed hyperlipidemic mice (c). d–i Apoe−/− mice were injected with PCSK9-AAV to identify the effect of elevated serum LDL levels. PCSK9-AAV-injected Apoe−/− mice were compared with non-injected Apoe−/− mice (WD for 24 weeks). Representative Oil Red O stain images. Scale bar: 150 μm (top), 50 μm (bottom) (d), quantification of valvular lipid deposition and thickness of aortic valve (n = 5) (e), total cholesterol and LDL levels in blood plasma (n = 5 for Apoe−/−, n = 4 for Apoe−/−+PCSK9-AAV) (f), correlation between valvular lipid deposition and each lipid profile (total cholesterol and LDL) (n = 9 total; 5 from Apoe−/−; 4 from Apoe−/−+PCSK9-AAV) (g), immunostaining of CD68 (red) and Vimentin (white) along with the lipid stain using BODIPY 493/503 (green). Scale bar: 150 μm (top), 50 μm (bottom) (h), and quantification of CD68 + macrophages accumulated in the aortic valve (n = 5) (i). j, k Lipid-lowering effects of ezetimibe on lipid accumulation in the aortic valves of WD-fed (for 10 weeks) Ldlr−/− mice (n = 4). Representative lipid stain images. Scale bar: 150 μm (top), 20μm (bottom) (j) and quantification of valvular lipid deposition with blood lipid profiles (k). l, m Effects of lipid-lowering by ezetimibe on the proportion of immune cells in aortic valves of WD-fed (for 10 weeks) Ldlr−/− mice, through flow cytometry (n = 5). Representative plot of leukocytes (l) and percentages of each cell population in single cells (m). WD: western diet. For (b), (e), (f), (i), (k), and (m), two-sided Mann-Whitney test was used. For (c) and (g), the Spearman correlation test was used. Data are presented as mean ± SD.

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