Figure 6
Anakinra reduces vascular NADPH oxidase activity and inflammation in diabetic rats. (A) NADPH oxidase activity in microvascular mesenteric preparations from control and two weeks evolution streptozotocin-induced diabetic SD rats, either untreated or treated for 3 days with anakinra (AK; 160 mg/Kg/day). Some samples also received, before determination, 10 μmol/L apocynin. Bars represent the mean ± SE of the relative light units (RLU) obtained in at least 3 experiments using tissues from 12 different animals. (B) Representative photomicrographs (20X) of microscopic sections of control and diabetic rat aorta, either untreated or receiving AK (160 mg/Kg/day, 3 days) hybridized with an oligonucleotide with the NF-κB consensus site. Preparations without probe were used as negative controls and a 200-fold excess of unlabeled probe was used to test the specificity of the technique. Arrows indicate stained nuclei. (C) Quantitative analysis of the number of NF-κB stained nuclei by squared micrometers in the aorta from control and diabetic rats, either untreated or receiving AK. Bars (mean ± SE) represent the fold increase over untreated control stained nuclei, which averaged 0.73 ± 0.09/10,000 μm2. At least 3 different animals were employed in every case. *p < 0.05 vs non-diabetic control rats; †p < 0.05 vs diabetic rats; #p < 0.05 vs AK-treated diabetic rats.