Fig. 3

Renal fibrosis and EndoMT in the respective groups at 1, 4, and 6 weeks post-ischemia. As pointed out in the text, significant matrix deposition occurred under all experimental conditions. In addition, cell administration reduced fibrosis after 35 and 45 min at weeks 1, 4, and 6, respectively (a – e). f and g show the results of mesenchymal analysis. Significant EndoMT exclusively occurred in the 35 min group at week 4 and in the 45 min group at week 6. Cell treatment reduced endothelial aSMA expression at week 4 (45 min) and at week 6 (45 min). Images (h - o) display detailed aSMA staining patterns within the endothelium. h – k show endothelial and mesenchymal staining at 45 min with cell therapy (4 weeks), (l – o) depict the same staining without cell administration. Images (n) and (o) allow to identify areas of CD31/aSMA co-expression in a detailed manner (white circles). In contrast, lEPC therapy stabilized the endothelial-muscular borderzone distinctively. The latter was less accentuated in animals which did not receive any cells at all (magnifications × 40 in c – e; ×160 in h - o; green in all microscopic images: aSMA; red: CD31; blue: nuclei; Data as mean ± SEM, ✻: p < 0.05)