Fig. 3

Establishment of a porcine PAH model. A EVG elastic staining of the lungs shows the pathological changes in piglets with MCT-induced PAH and the vehicle-treated group. The arrows indicate uneven thickening of the middle layer of the pulmonary arteries, with lumen stenosis, muscularized pulmonary arterioles, and lung interstitial thickening with inflammatory cell infiltration. B Immunofluorescence staining of Ki67 and α-SMA in paraffin-embedded sections of lung tissue from piglets with MCT-induced PAH or the vehicle-treated group. Scale bars, 50 μm. C H&E staining and Masson staining of the right ventricular myocardium of piglets with MCT-induced PAH or the vehicle-treated group. Scale bars, 50 μm for H&E staining and 100 μm for Masson staining. D EVG staining of the tunica media of the main pulmonary artery of piglets with MCT-induced PAH or the vehicle-treated group. Scale bars, 2 mm. E Representative images and quantification of eNOS expression in the lung tissues of piglets with MCT-induced PAH or the vehicle-treated group by western blotting. F Hemodynamic data for the pulmonary circulation, including sPAP, dPAP, mPAP, SV, CO, CI, PVR, and PVRI, were measured and calculated by catheter intervention in piglets with MCT-induced PAH or the vehicle-treated group. * P<0.05, ** P<0.01, *** P<0.001; compared to the vehicle group, as analyzed by Student’s t test