Pioglitazone stabilizes atherosclerotic plaque by regulating the Th17/Treg balance in AMPK-dependent mechanisms

Effects of PIO on Th17/Treg balance and AMPK activation in cultured primary splenocytes. a, b Representative flowcytometric results of Th17 and Treg cells, respectively. Numbers represent the percentage of cells in the quadrants. c, d Quantitative analysis of Th17 and Treg population among the 3 groups respectively. *P < 0.05 vs Con; ？ P < 0.05 vs ox-LDL. e Representative western blot analysis of pAMPK and AMPK in splenocytes treated with or without ox-LDL and PI