Fig 2: Influence of PADN on the cardiac RAAS activity. PADN reversed RAAS expression in the right heart. a Representative western blot images of renin, ACE, AngII, AT2, MR and ß-actin in right heart. b–d Bar diagram showed intensity data of western blot images, all data were normalized by ß-actin. e Bar diagram showed data of mRNA expression of AT1 receptor in different groups. C1, C2, C3 : contol group; S1, S2, S3 : sham group; P1, P2, P3 : PADN group. *P < 0.05 compared to the control group. #P < 0.05 compared to the sham group

Fig 3: Effects of Rb1 and Rg3 on RAS and TGF-ß1 levels in the myocardium. (A) Representative IHC staining photomicrographs of myocardium tissue. (Magnification, ×400). Antibodies against ACE, Ang II, AT1 and TGF-ß1 were used as the primary antibodies. (B-E) Quantitative results of IHC staining, which were presented as IOD/Area and were proportional to the levels of ACE, Ang II, AT1 and TGF-ß1. Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation, n=4. #P<0.05 vs. the WKY group following treatment; $P<0.05 vs. the SHR group following treatment. Rb1, ginsenoside Rb1; Rg3, ginsenoside Rg3; RAS, renin angiotensin system; TGF-ß1, transforming growth factor ß1; IHC, immunohistochemistry; ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; Ang II, angiotensin II; AT1, Ang II receptor type 1; IOD, integrated optical density; WKY, Wistar-Kyoto; SHR, spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Fig 4: Influence of PADN on the pulmonary RAAS activity. PADN inhibited the local RAAS activity in lung tissue. a Representative western blot images of renin, ACE, AngII, AT2, MR and ß-actin in pulmonary tissue. b–d Bar diagram showed intensity data of western blot images, all data were normalized by ß-actin. e Bar diagram showed data of mRNA expression of AT1 receptor in three groups. C1, C2, C3 : contol group; S1, S2, S3 : sham group; P1, P2, P3 : PADN group. *P < 0.05 compared to the control group. #P < 0.05 compared to the sham group

Fig 5: Captopril and valsartan mediated activation of ACE2/Ang-(1–7) axis. (A) Expression levels of ACE2, AT1R, and ACE in the lung tissue. (B) Levels of Ang II in the lung tissue. (C) Levels of Ang-(1–7) in the lung tissue. (D) mRNA levels of MasR in the lung tissue. *Compared with the control group, p < 0.05. #Compared with the IR group, p < 0.05, ## p < 0.01. ACE: angiotensin-converting enzyme; ACE2: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; Ang, angiotensin; AT1R, angiotensin II type 1 receptor; IR, irradiation; MasR, Mas receptor.