FIGURE 1. Temporal correlation of IL-1-induced MMP-9 expression/activation with trans-differentiation of HSCs in three-dimensional type-I collagen.
A, isolated rat HSCs were embedded in three-dimensional type-I collagen and treated with IL-1α (0.5 ng/ml). Cells were fixed at the indicated time points for immunofluorescence staining of α-SMA and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. B, MMP-9 in the conditioned medium was resolved by zymography. C, global ECM degradation was monitored by collapse of type-I collagen lattices.