Exercise reduces hyperlipidemia‑induced kidney damage in apolipoprotein E‑deficient mice

Figures

• 

  Figure 1. Metabolic data from the mice in the different groups after 12 weeks of feeding with different diets. Kidney/body weights, and total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein and creatinine levels in the mice after 12 weeks of different treatments. Data are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean. n=7/group. *P<0.05, **P<0.01 vs. ApoE-/- HD group. ApoE-/-, apolipoprotein E-deficient; HD, high-fat diet; ND, normal diet; E, exercise.

• 

  Figure 2. Histological analysis of kidney samples. (A) Notably reduced inflammatory infiltration was observed in the kidney tissue of the mice in the HD+E group compared with the ND group of mice, as determined by H&E staining. Arrows indicate inflammatory infiltration. (B) Kidney damage scores are expressed as the median and were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's post hoc test. Semi-quantitative injury scores ranged from 0 to 4 [0, normal kidney; 1, minimal damage (0-5% injury); 2, mild damage (5-25% injury); 3, moderate damage (25-75% injury); and 4, severe damage (75-100% injury)]. *P<0.05, **P<0.01 vs. ApoE-/- HD group. (C) Masson and PAS staining in the kidney tissues with different treatments. Exercise reduced lipid deposition, collagen deposition and fibrosis in ApoE-/- HD group mice. Scale bar, 100 µm. n=3/group. Masson staining: Collagen fibers, mucus and cartilage are blue; muscle fibers, cellulose and red blood cells are red; and the nucleus is blue and black. The arrows indicate damage. Data are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean. ApoE-/-, apolipoprotein E-deficient; HD, high-fat diet; ND, normal diet; E, exercise; PAS, Periodic acid-Schiff.

• 

  Figure 3. Oxidative stress characteristics. (A) NRF2 expression in the kidney tissues of mice in the different groups after 12 weeks of feeding with different diets. Representative images of immunohistochemistry staining for NRF2 in kidney tissues of mice with the different treatments. Scale bar, 100 µm. Arrows indicate positively stained cells. (B) GSH-PX and SOD expression in the serum of the four groups after 12 weeks with different treatments. Data are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean. n=3/group. *P<0.05 vs. ApoE-/- HD group. ApoE-/-, apolipoprotein E-deficient; HD, high-fat diet; ND, normal diet; E, exercise; NRF2, nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2; GSH-PX, glutathione-peroxidase; SOD, superoxide dismutase.

• 

  Figure 4. Characteristics of fibrosis. (A) Representative images of immunohistochemistry staining for TGF-β and Smad3 in kidney tissues of mice with different treatments. Scale bar, 100 µm. Arrows indicate positively stained cells. (B) Western blot analysis of TGF-β and Smad3 protein expression levels in renal tissues. Data are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean. n=3/group. *P<0.05 vs. ApoE-/- HD group. ApoE-/-, apolipoprotein E-deficient; HD, high-fat diet; ND, normal diet; E, exercise.

• 

  Figure 5. NF-κB protein expression in the kidney tissue of mice in the different groups after 12 weeks of feeding with different diets. (A) Representative immunohistochemistry staining for NF-κB in kidney tissues of mice with different treatments. Arrows indicate positively stained cells. (B) Bar graph showing the fold increase in NF-κB-positive cells compared with in the ApoE-/- ND group. Scale bar, 100 µm. Data are presented as the mean ± standard error of the mean. n=3/group. *P<0.05 vs. ApoE-/- HD group. ApoE-/-, apolipoprotein E-deficient; HD, high-fat diet; ND, normal diet; E, exercise.