Journal: Redox Biology

Article Title: Ultrasmall Cu 2−x Se nanoparticles alleviate vascular calcification through inhibiting oxidative stress and NF-κB/NLRP3-mediated inflammation

doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2025.103961

Figure Lengend Snippet: CSP NPs inhibit VSMC calcification via downregulating NLRP3 signaling pathway. Rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) (A–D), human VSMCs (E–F), or rat aortic rings (G–H) were treated with growth medium (GM), calcifying medium (CM), or CM with Nig (5 μM) in the absence or presence of CSP NPs (10 μg/mL) for 7 days (n = 4). (A) Representative alizarin red staining images of VSMCs. Scale bar = 500 μm. (B) Quantitative analysis of alizarin red staining was assessed using a microplate reader. (C–D) Runx2 and BMP2 expression was analyzed by Western blot and quantified by densitometry. (E) Representative alizarin red staining images of human VSMCs. Scale bar = 500 μm. (F) Quantitative analysis of alizarin red staining was assessed using a microplate reader. (G) Representative alizarin red staining images of rat aortic rings. Scale bar = 500 μm (low power) and 250 μm (high power). (H) Quantitative analysis of alizarin red positive area by ImageJ software. ∗ P < 0.05, ∗∗ P < 0.01.

Article Snippet: Human VSMCs (CRL-1999, ATCC, USA) were cultured under identical conditions.

Techniques: Staining, Expressing, Western Blot, Software