Fig. 8: Folic acid ameliorated vascular aging in naturally aged mice.
From: Elevating cytosolic NADPH metabolism in endothelial cells ameliorates vascular aging
a Schematic of mice fed water or FA from 12 months old to 24 months old. b NADPH levels in thoracic aorta from old mice with or without FA. n = 5 mice. c Representative images of HE (upper), Masson (middle) and p21 immunofluorescence (lower) in thoracic aorta from 4-month-old mice and 24-month-old mice fed water or FA. A: adventitia, M: media, L: lumen. Scale bar :100 μm. Systolic (d) and diastolic (e) pressure in mice with or without FA. n = 8 mice. f Relaxation activity of thoracic aorta from 4-month-old mice and 24-month-old mice fed water or FA. n = 5 mice. *p < 0.0001 vs Young group, #p < 0.0001 vs Old group. GSH (g) and H2O2 (h) levels in thoracic aorta from 4-month-old mice and 24-month-old mice fed water or FA. n = 5 mice. i Western blotting images showing p16, p21 and VCAM-1 protein levels in thoracic aorta from 4-month-old mice and 24-month-old mice fed water or FA. j RT-PCR analysis of IL-1β, IL-6, CCL2, ICAM1, MMP3 and MMP9 mRNA levels in thoracic aorta from 4-month-old mice and 24-month-old mice fed water or FA. n = 8 mice. k Schematic model showing that G6PD de-S-nitrosylation or FA increased NADPH levels that regulated GSH redox and HDAC3 activity in EC senescence. Data are presented as mean values ± SEM. Statistical significance was assessed by One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons test (b, g, h), Two-way ANOVA followed by Holm-Å Ãdák’s multiple comparisons test (f, j).
