Figure 5

SAA induces VCAM-1 production in atherosclerotic lesions of chow-fed mice and in vitro. (A, B) Expression of VCAM-1 (green) by immunofluorescence analysis and quantification (magnification 200×; n = 10 for both groups). (C) Real-time PCR analysis of VCAM-1 mRNA expression in aortas (n = 12 for both groups). Relative expression was normalized to that of a reference gene group including β-actin, TBP and GAPDH. Geometric mean of reference gene expressions was used to confirm the robustness of experimental data. Data are mean ± SD. *P < 0.01 compared with lenti-null group. (D) and (E) HAECs were stimulated with recombinant human SAA (20 µg/mL) for various times. Western blot and real-time PCR analysis of VCAM-1 protein and mRNA expression. (F) Human aortic endothelial cells were treated with different concentrations of SAA for 24 h. Protein expression of VCAM-1 was investigated with Western blot analysis. Data are mean ± SD from 3 independent experiments performed in duplicate. *P < 0.05 compared with control.