Fig. 3.
Treatment with prazosin (0.15 mg/kg) inhibited the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced acute apoptotic pathway in the heart (magnification ×400). (A) Representative examples of immunocytochemical detection of connexin43 in rat heart muscle sections. The increased expression of connexin43 in intercalated discs (arrowheads) at 3 h and intense expression at 6 h in the 6-OHDA group were reduced by prazosin treatment (n = 8 per group). (B) Representative examples of immunocytochemical detection of caspase3 in rat heart muscle sections. The increased and strong expression levels of caspase3 (arrowheads) at 3 and 6 h in the 6-OHDA group were reduced by prazosin treatment (n = 8 per group). (C) Representative examples of in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling–positive cells detection in blue (arrowheads) in rat heart muscle sections. The increased and strong expression levels of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling–positive cells at 3 and 6 h in the 6-OHDA group were reduced by prazosin treatment (n = 8 per group). The data represent the means ± SD. *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.001 versus the respective group at 0 h; †P < 0.05 and ††P < 0.001 versus the respective group at 3 h; ‡P < 0.05 versus the respective group at 6 h; §P < 0.001 6-OHDA versus 6-OHDA plus prazosin.