Dexmedetomidine improves cardiac function and protects against maladaptive remodeling following myocardial infarction

Figures

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  Figure 1.. Functional analysis of the left ventricle with echocardiography. (A) Representative M-mode echocardiograms from the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. (B) The mean left ventricular LVEDD, LVESD and FS in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX-treated mice. (C) The mean left ventricular LVEDV, LVESV and EF in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. n=6. *P<0.05. NS, normal saline; DEX, dexmedetomidine; MI, myocardial infarction; LVEDD, left ventricle end-diastolic dimension; LVESD, LV end-systolic dimension; FS, fractional shortening.

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  Figure 2.. Analysis of pathological cardiac remodeling with picrosirius red staining. (A) Representative images of picrosirius red-stained sections in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. Scale bar, 50 µm. (B) Quantitative analysis of picrosirius red-positive area in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (n=6. #P<0.05 vs. MI + NS group. NS, normal saline; DEX, dexmedetomidine; MI, myocardial infarction.

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  Figure 3.. Analysis of apoptosis with western blot analysis and caspase-3 activity assay. (A) Representative gel images and (B) quantitative densitometric analysis of western blot analysis data demonstrating the expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. (C) Analysis of caspase-3 activity assay in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (n=6. *P<0.05. NS, normal saline; DEX, dexmedetomidine; MI, myocardial infarction.

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  Figure 4.. Western blot analysis of NOX2 and NOX4 expression and SOD and MDA assays. (A) Representative gel images and (B) quantitative densitometric analysis of western blot analysis data demonstrating the expression levels of NOX2 and NOX4 proteins in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. (C) Analysis of MDA content in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + mice. (D) Analysis of SOD activity in the Sham + NS, Sham + DEX, MI + NS, and MI + DEX mice. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. n=6. *P<0.05. NOX, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase; NS, normal saline; DEX, dexmedetomidine; MI, myocardial infarction.