Figure 2. Quantification of Atherosclerosis in the Beclin-Het Autophagy-Deficient Model.
(A) Western blot analysis of Beclin-1, p62, and β-actin in whole aorta lysates from control (n=3) and Beclin-Het (n=3) mice each on an ApoE-null background fed a Western diet for 2 months. Densitometric quantification is shown to the right. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. *P<0.05.
(B, C) Cohorts of control and Beclin-Het mice (# of mice shown) were placed on a Western diet for 2 months and atherosclerotic area involvement was determined by computer image analyses.
(B) Oil Red O-stained sections of aortic roots (representative aortic root sections are shown on the right). (C) En face results for the total aorta and its regions (aortic arch, thoracic aorta, and abdominal aorta). Horizontal lines within the data sets represent means. NS = not significant.