FIGURE 4.

Effect of PI3K inhibition on leptin signaling in primary HSCs. Primary rat HSCs were cultured in serum-containing medium and pretreated with the PI3K antagonist, LY294003 (25 μm) for 30 min prior to the addition of leptin (L; 100 ng/ml) or vehicle (V). RNA was isolated, and changes in gene expression were evaluated by qRT-PCR. A, myofibroblastic/mesenchymal markers: αSMA, Col1α1, fibronectin (Fn1), S100A4, vimentin (Vim), desmin (Des), Msx2, WT1, and snail. B, epithelial markers: BMP7, Id2, desmoplakin (Dsp), and E-cadherin (Cdh1) and markers of quiescent HSCs: PPARγ and GFAP. C, Hh pathway genes: Shh, Gli1, Gli2, and sFRP1. Results are mean ± S.E. (error bars) of triplicate experiments. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; †, p < 0.005.