Generation of 11β-HSD1 knockout mice.

<p>(A) The relative expression of 11β-HSD1 in WT, HT, and KO mouse skin extracts was assessed with rtPCR. GAPDH was used as an internal control. **P<0.01, one-way ANOVA followed by the Bonferroni-Dunn test for multiple comparisons. (B) Western blot analysis of 11β-HSD1 in WT, HT, and KO mouse skin extracts. (C) H&E staining (upper panel), Masson's trichrome staining (middle panel), and 11β-HSD1 staining (lower panel) in 3-month-old WT, HT, and KO mouse skin. Bar = 100 μm. (D) Dermal thickness was calculated by averaging the thickness measured at five locations in each section. Three sections from each mouse were evaluated. The dermal area in each mouse was measured using Image J. Bars show the mean epidermal thickness ± SD (N = 4). (E) The relative expression of Col1A1 and Col1A2 in 3-month-old WT, HT, and KO mouse skin. GAPDH was used as an internal control. Bars indicate the mean ± SD (N = 6). (F) Plasma corticosterone levels in WT, HT, and KO mice were measured with ELISA. Bars indicate the mean ± SD (N = 6; *P<0.05, one-way ANOVA followed by the Bonferroni-Dunn test for multiple comparisons).