Fig. 6

GPR4 regulates VEGFA expression via the STAT3 signaling pathway stimulated by an acidic microenvironment in EPCs derived from CAD individuals. a, b Quantitative analyses of tube formation (a) and migration (b) incubated in different pH environments in EGM medium after 6 h (n = 6). c Representative photographs and quantitative analyses of blood flow in hind limb ischemia in nude mice after injection of EPCs transfected with negative control plasmids (NC) or plasmids expressing GPR4 and NSC74859. n = 6 per group. A paired t test was performed to determine the statistically significant differences among groups. d HE-, IHC-CD31-, IF-CD31-, and BrdU-stained sections of ischemic hind limbs. Scale bar = 20 μm. The data are presented as the mean ± SD. ***P < 0.001