Candesartan Normalizes Changes in Retinal Blood Flow and p22phox in the Diabetic Rat Retina

Figures

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  Figure 1. Retinal blood flow rates in the four groups of rats: untreated non-diabetic controls, untreated STZ, candesartan-treated non-diabetic controls, and candesartan-treated STZ. Candesartan treatment in the STZ rats was able to attenuate the STZ-induced decrease in retinal blood flow rate. N = 9–11 per group, * p < 0.05 and *** p < 0.001 between indicated groups.

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  Figure 2. Retinal tissue protein levels (Western blot data; normalized to β-actin) of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in the four groups of rats: untreated non-diabetic controls, untreated STZ, candesartan-treated non-diabetic controls, and candesartan-treated STZ. ACE levels were increased in the diabetic rats, but only in the absence of candesartan treatment. N = 10–13 per group, * p < 0.05 between indicated groups.

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  Figure 3. Retinal tissue protein levels (Western blot data; normalized to β-actin) of angiotensinogen in the four groups of rats: untreated non-diabetic controls, untreated STZ, candesartan-treated non-diabetic controls, and candesartan-treated STZ. Angiotensinogen levels were increased in the diabetic rats only with the administration of candesartan. N = 11–15 per group, ** p < 0.01 between indicated groups.

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  Figure 4. Retinal tissue protein levels (Western blot data; normalized to β-actin) of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1) in the four groups of rats: untreated non-diabetic controls, untreated STZ, candesartan-treated non-diabetic controls, and candesartan-treated STZ. No statistical differences were found between groups. N = 11–15 per group.

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  Figure 5. Retinal tissue protein levels (Western blot data; normalized to β-actin) of (A) the p22phox subunit of NADPH oxidase, (B) SOD-1, (C) 4-HNE, and (D) nitrotyrosine in the four groups of rats: untreated non-diabetic controls, untreated STZ, candesartan-treated non-diabetic controls, and candesartan-treated STZ. A significant increase (p < 0.05) in p22phox was observed in the diabetic retina, which was attenuated with candesartan treatment; however, no statistical differences in SOD-1, 4-HNE, or nitrotyrosine were found between groups. N = 9–14 per group, **** p < 0.0001.