Fig. 2

Assessment of atherosclerotic plaque formation in ApoE^−/− mice. A Representative photographs of HE staining show increased plaque formation in the HFD group. Magnified ×50. B Quantification data of HE staining (n = 8 per group). C Representative photographs of Oil Red O staining show increased lipid deposition in the HFD group. Magnified ×50. D Quantification data of Oil Red O staining (n = 8 per group). E Representative photographs of Masson’s trichrome staining show increased collagen content in the HFD group. Magnified ×50. F Quantification data of Masson’s trichrome staining (n = 8 per group). G Representative photographs of immunofluorescence staining of CD68 show increased macrophage in the HFD group. Magnified ×200. H Quantification data of CD68 expression (n = 4 per group). All data are presented as the means ± SEMs. ***P < 0.001 versus the ND group. HE, hematoxylin–eosin; ND, normal diet; HFD, high-fat diet