Fig. 4

Sulfation inhibition attenuates CKD-related atherosclerosis and decreases the infiltration of monocytes/macrophages. (A + B) Representative images and analysis of en-face staining with oil red O in aortas from sham and 5/6 nephrectomy ApoE^−/− mice with or without TPST knockout. Red staining indicates atherosclerotic plaques. ApoE^−/− with TPST1 knockout (TPST1^−/−) and ApoE^−/− with TPST2 knockout (TPST2^−/−) mice showed smaller atherosclerotic lesion size compared with ApoE^−/− (Control) mice. After 5/6 nephrectomy (CKD), ApoE^−/− mice presented larger atherosclerotic lesions, while this effect was significantly inhibited in TPST1^−/− and TPST2^−/− groups. Scale bar: 2 mm, n = 4 in each group. (C + D) The infiltration of CD68 + macrophages in the aortic vascular plaques was alleviated in TPST1^−/−/ApoE^−/− and TPST2^−/−/ApoE^−/− mice with 5/6 nephrectomy. Scale bar: 400 μm, n = 5 in each group. Data are expressed as means ± SD. ^*p < 0.05, ^**p < 0.01,^***p < 0.001