MiR-126 regulates the effect of mesenchymal stem cell vascular repair on carotid atherosclerosis through MAPK/ERK signaling pathway

Figure 7 MiR-126 plays a crucial role in promoting the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into endothelial cells. A and B: CD31 positivity rates across different treatment groups. The proportion of CD31-positive cells reached 72.26% in samples with the combination of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and miR-126 mimics, significantly higher than the 54.85% in the VEGF-only group. In contrast, the CD31 positivity was only 20.49% in samples with the combination of VEGF and miR-126 inhibitor, significantly lower than in the VEGF-only group; C: Cellular immunofluorescence sections showing the effects of miR-126 mimics and inhibitor on CD31 positivity; D: Bar chart corresponding to Figure 7C; E: Tissue immunofluorescence sections showing the effects of miR-126 mimics and inhibitor on CD31 positivity; F: Bar chart corresponding to Figure 7E. They demonstrate that miR-126 mimics significantly increased the proportion of CD31+ cells, whereas miR-126 inhibitor markedly reduced the proportion of CD31+ cells. Data are presented as the mean ± SD, and differences between groups were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. ^aP < 0.01. NC: Negative control; VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor.