Fig. 3

RUPP rats have increased collagen deposition and decreased Flt1 mRNA expression in their placentae. a Paraffin-embedded rat placentae were sectioned at 10μm thickness and stained with picrosirius red to visualise collagen I and III fibres (red) in sham and RUPP hearts. Scalebar = 100μm. b Images of picrosirius red-stained tissue were taken at × 5 using an Axioscan microscope and analysed for percentage of area stained red to quantify collagen deposition as an indicator of placental fibrosis. Data points are mean ± SEM; n = 7, unpaired Student’s t-test; *p < 0.05. RNA extracted from rat placentae by TRIsure reagent was analysed by RT-qPCR to determine mRNA expression levels of c Flt1 and d Vegfa. Data presented as mean fold change ± SEM; n = 7; Mann-Whitney t-test; *p < 0.05