Fig. 4

Macrophage autophagy-related 5 (Atg5) deletion protected against renal fibrosis in a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mouse model. (A-H) UUO was induced in WT and MΦ atg5^−/− mice for 2 weeks. Representative images and positive area rate of Sirius red (A and B), Masson (A and C), and immunohistochemical staining for FN1 (D and E), vimentin (D and F), and α-SMA (D and G) showing less renal fibrosis in MΦ atg5^−/− mice than in WT mice. Data are presented as the mean ± SEM. * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, ****P < 0.0001 (n = 4 per group). One-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple-comparison test. (H) Flow cytometric analysis showing renal macrophages (F4/80⁺ CD11b⁺ CD11c⁻ CD45⁺ cells) and the M1/M2 ratio of macrophages in the obstructed kidneys from MΦ atg5-/- mice and WT mice. Data are presented as the mean ± SEM. * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01 (n = 4 per group). Unpaired, two-tailed Student’s t test