Fig. 1: Human NEC is associated with mucosal hypoxia and impairment of the microvasculature. | Nature Communications

Fig. 1: Human NEC is associated with mucosal hypoxia and impairment of the microvasculature.

From: Remote ischemic conditioning counteracts the intestinal damage of necrotizing enterocolitis by improving intestinal microcirculation

Fig. 1

a The terminal ileum of NEC patients (n = 5) and non-NEC control patients (n = 5) were analyzed and compared using immunofluorescence staining. b, c The intestine was divided into three regions: (i) the most affected ileum close to the area of necrosis and perforation (n = 5), (ii) the less affected ileum distant from the necrosis/perforation (n = 5), and (iii) the not affected ileum farther away from the damaged area (n = 5). The most affected ileum had the highest expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and the lowest expression of endothelial cell marker (CD31), compared to less affected, not affected areas and non-NEC controls. There was a progressive decrease in HIF1α expression and progressive increase in CD31 expression from NEC-damaged to less damaged area. Immunofluorescence staining and imaging and analysis of slides were performed by blinded investigators and data werr compared using two-sided one-way ANOVA with post hoc Turkey test and repeated measure for the comparison of different areas within the NEC patient and no pairing comparison to the non-NEC control (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001). Scale bars are equivalent to 100 µm in all the images shown, and data are presented as mean ± SEM. Experiments were repeated independently 3 times, with similar results. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

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