Effects of chronic inhibition of Testosterone metabolism on cardiac remodeling after ischemia/reperfusion-induced myocardial damage in gonadectomized rats

Figures

• 

  Fig. 1.. Effect induced by the inhibition of testosterone metabolism. Testosterone modifies the percentage of tissue damage by the coronary I/R process in ORX rats. The ORX rats were treated subcutaneously every 72 h for 30 days after cardiac damage induced by the coronary I/R process, with exogenous testosterone (T), Finasteride (Finas), 4-OHA or a combination of both inhibitors. Representative images of heart sections are shown at the top of each bar. Image X4. The data are expressed as the mean±s.e.m. of the percentage of the AI/AT ratio of five hearts per group, *P<0.05, δδP<0.01, ***P<0.005, δδδP<0.001.

• 

  Fig. 2.. Quantitative analysis of cellular infiltration (blue spots) in cardiac tissue subjected to coronary I/R in ORX rats. Exogenous testosterone administration, Finas, 4-OHA or a combination of both inhibitors were administered subcutaneously every 72 h for 30 days after ischemic damage. The analysis was performed in three sections of each heart per group (n=5) using the ImageJ program. The data are expressed as the mean±s.e.m. Representative images of cellular infiltration are observed through Hematoxylin-Eosin staining (top panels). Scale bars: 100 μm. *P<0.01, δP<0.05, ***P<0.001.

• 

  Fig. 3.. Quantitative analysis of MMP-3 and MMP-13 expression. Upper panel: MMP-3 expression in cardiac tissue subjected to coronary I/R in ORX rats. Lower panel: MMP-13 expression in cardiac tissue subjected to coronary I/R in ORX rats. Rats were treated subcutaneously with exogenous testosterone, Finas, and/or 4-OHA every 72 h for 30 days after ischemic damage. The micrographs show representative images of the immunohistochemical analysis performed on five sections of each heart per group (n=5). The data are expressed as the mean±s.e.m. *P<0.01, δP<0.05, ***P<0.001, δδP<0.01. Scale bar: 100 μm.