Islet Endothelial Activation and Oxidative Stress Gene Expression Is Reduced by IL-1Ra Treatment in the Type 2 Diabetic GK Rat
Figure 2
IL-1Ra treatment improves vascularization and reduces fibrosis in GK islets.
Immunohistochemistry was performed for von Willebrand factor (VWF) (A) and fibronectin (B) in pancreas of young adult untreated Wistar and GK rats, and of s.c. saline- or IL-1Ra-treated-GK rats. The border of each islet is defined by the dashed line. As shown in panel A, VWF-labeled islets from untreated GK rats are extremely heterogeneous in terms of vascularization and extent of fibrosis, when compared to Wistar controls. In saline- and IL-1Ra-treated GK rats, immunolabeled islet area for VWF or fibronectin was quantified for each islet and expressed as to the corresponding islet surface (n = 3 GK rats for both treatment groups, n = 25–40 islets). Islets analyzed for quantification showed unchanged islet area between treatment groups. *p<0.05 using Student's t-test.