Dose and time dependency of BaP1 effects on type IV collagen from vascular BM on isolated mouse cremaster muscle.

<p>Isolated cremaster muscles were incubated with different amounts of BaP1 (10, 30 and 100 μg) for either 5 or 15 min (model without blood flow). Control tissues were incubated with PBS. Whole tissues were fixed and immunostained for observation by confocal microscopy and analysis of total fluorescence intensity for type IV collagen. Results are expressed as the mean ± SEM of the percentage of intensity related to control of at least five images of each vessel type: (A) arterioles, (B) capillaries, and (C) PCV per cremaster (n = 4). Below each graph, representative three-dimensional images of each vessel type immunostained for type IV collagen are shown with a gray color coding spectrum (black as low fluorescence intensity regions and white as high fluorescence intensity regions) for BaP1 (30 μg) and control at 15 min. The images show a decrease in fluorescence intensity for type IV collagen in BM of capillaries of treated tissues as compared to control, whereas no significant reduction was observed in arterioles and PCV. Scale bar represents 30 μm. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.001 as compared to control. C: control; Col IV: type IV collagen; PCV: post-capillary venules.