Atorvastatin increases the TGF-β/Smad signaling <i>in vivo</i>.

<p>ApoE-/- mice of 1 month age were feed with hyperlipidemic diet for 2 months and then randomized in two groups: non treated mice and treated with 5mg/kg/day of atorvastatin for 2 months. Animals were sacrificed and samples were embedded in paraffin. Aortic roots were stained by immunohistochemistry for p-Smad3 (a), TRII (b), Smooth Muscle Actin (SMA) (c), PAI-1 (d), and Type I Collagen (COL-1) (e). Figure shows a representative mouse of each group of 8. magnification 40× and 100×. Panel f shows the quantifications of the histological observations. This was performed by an independent observer, using Metamorph software, and following manufacturer's instructions.