NLRP3 Deficiency Attenuates Renal Fibrosis and Ameliorates Mitochondrial Dysfunction in a Mouse Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

Figure 5

NLRP3 deletion ameliorates UUO-induced cell apoptosis in UUO mice. Representative images of TUNEL staining are shown ((a), magnification, ×200). Bar graph indicates the mean number of TUNEL-positive tubular cells per field (b). Expression of caspase 3 protein was detected in kidney samples (c). Semiquantitative analysis of cleaved caspase 3 normalized against β-actin (d). Data represent the mean ± SEM (). , compared with WT/Sham group, , NLRP3^−/−/U14 group versus WT/U14 group. U1, U3, U7, and U14 indicate that mice were sacrificed on days 1, 3, 7, and 14 after UUO.

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