Fig. 2
From: Changes in pulmonary endothelial cell properties during bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis
Functional performance of endothelial cells from bleomycin-treated lungs, assessed by response to thapsigargin. a Intracellular nitric oxide concentrations in endothelial cells were measured using DAF–FM/DA. Thapsigargin (1 μM) was added and the DAF–FM fluorescence intensity in whole cells was measured at 515 nm. The fluorescence intensity ratio indicates the relative fluorescence intensity of intracellular nitric oxide in thapsigargin-treated endothelial cells over that in untreated endothelial cells. The fluorescence intensity ratio of intracellular nitric oxide was significantly attenuated in endothelial cells from bleomycin-treated lungs at day 21, compared with in saline-treated lungs. b 6-Keto PGF1α released from endothelial cells. The concentration of 6-keto PGF1α in the culture medium was measured by ELISA after incubation of endothelial cells with 10 μM thapsigargin. The relative concentration ratio indicates the concentration of 6-keto PGF1α in thapsigargin-treated endothelial cells over that in untreated cells and these ratios were compared for cells from saline and bleomycin-treated mice. Relative rates of 6-keto PGF1α production were significantly attenuated in thapsigargin-stimulated endothelial cells from bleomycin-treated lungs, compared with in those from saline-treated lungs, both isolated on day 21. These levels were also attenuated relative to those in endothelial cells from bleomycin-treated lungs that were not stimulated by thapsigargin at the same day. Data are means ± standard error from three or four mice. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01