Figure 2
From: Deficiency of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Lung Fibrosis in Mice
Effect α7 nAChR on expression of lung fibrogenic and proinflammatory genes in the early stage of BLM-induced lung fibrosis. (A) α7 nAChR expression at mRNA levels in the early stage of BLM-induced lung fibrosis. Chrna7+/+ and Chrna7−/− mice were intratracheally challenged with BLM (3 mg/kg) and Chrna7+/+ mice receiving intratracheal saline were used as control. The mice were killed at 7 d to measure Chrna7 expression. ***p < 0.001 for BLM-challenged Chrna7+/+ versus saline-challenged Chrna7+/+ mice. (B-D) Effect of α7 nAChR lung fibrogenic genes in the early stage of BLM-induced lung fibrosis. Experimental protocol was the same as Figure 2A. The mice were killed at 7 d and the lungs were homogenized for extracting RNA to measure (B) Acta2, (C) Col1a1 and (D) Fsp1 by qPCR analysis. ***p < 0.001 for Chrna7+/+ + saline versus Chrna7+/+ + BLM. *p < 0.05, *p < 0.05 for BLM-challenged Chrna7−/− versus BLM-challenged Chrna7+/+ mice. (E-G) Effect of α7 nAChR on lung inflammatory genes (Cxcl2, Mcp1 and Arg1) in the early stage of BLM-induced lung fibrosis. Experimental protocol was the same as Figures 2B-D. The lungs were homogenized for extracting RNA to measure (E) Cxcl2, (F) Mcp1 and (G) Arg1 by qPCR analysis. N = 3–8 in each group. ***p < 0.001 for Chrna7+/+ + saline versus Chrna7+/+ + BLM, *p < 0.05 for BLM-challenged Chrna7−/− versus BLM-challenged Chrna7+/+ mice. Data are mean ± SD.