Fig. 4

Exogenous MFG-E8 application to aged CCAs upregulates VCAM-1 expression. a–c Sections of left CCA, 21 days after ligation, were immunostained with antibodies against VCAM-1. Representative photomicrographs of ligated CCA sections from young (a) and aged (b) mice at 21 days after ligation. (c) rMFG-E8 (2 μg/mL) was exogenously applied to the ligated carotid arteries of aged mice; bar, 100 μm. d Quantitative analysis of the immunostaining intensities of VCAM-1 in the intimal–medial area 21 days after ligation (young ligated: n = 3; aged ligated: n = 6; aged ligated + MFG-E8: n = 4). Data are presented in terms of the mean ± SEM. **P < 0.01; one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test