Fig. 3

Targeting Cx43 hemichannels protects kidney proximal tubules from interstitial fibrosis, monocyte infiltration and fibroblast activation following obstructive nephropathy. Having ascertained that targeted deletion of Cx43 from the proximal tubules protects against damage from UUO, we determined a role for Cx43 hemichannels in driving tubular damage using the Cx43 hemichannel blocker Peptide5, administered via I.P. injections twice daily for 9 days (9.3 mg/kg, 24 h after UUO). All mice were sacrificed at day 10. Representative micrographs (a) and quantification of Masson’s Trichrome (tubular dilation) (b), Sirius Red (interstitial fibrosis) (c), F4/80 (macrophage infiltration) (d) and FSP1⁺ (fibroblast number) (e) staining demonstrate that inflammation and fibrosis is significantly ameliorated in the UUO mouse when Peptide5 is administered. All groups are n = 4–6 with an ANOVA and Tukey post-test used for experimental comparisons. **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001