Dox treatment induces myocardial fibrosis independent of p53 gene status in the heart.

<p>(<b>A–D</b>) Representative photomicrographs of PSFG stained cardiac sections from wild type or p53 CKO hearts treated with saline (A) or Dox (B–D) at 7 day time point. Both reparative (C) and perivascular (D) types of fibrosis were evident in Dox treated MC⁺ p53^F/F conditional knockout hearts. Bar, 100 µm A–D. (<b>E</b>) Quantification of the spread of cardiac fibrosis lesions in Dox and Isoporterenol (ISO) treated hearts at 7 day time point. LL: lesion length, LW: lesion width. ISO induced LL was significantly greater (∼2.5 fold) compared to Dox induced LL (n = 3–5 mice per group, *<i>P</i><0.005 compared with other groups. ANOVA, Tukey's multiple comparison test). (<b>F</b>) No significant difference is observed between groups in heart weight and body weight ratios of mice used in these studies at 7 day time point.