FIG. 8.

The expression and tissue distribution of α-SMA in control mice (A), mice receiving CCl₄ for 8 weeks (B), CCl₄-treated mice 2 weeks after CCl₄ cessation (C), and mice receiving berberine at the doses of 3 mg/kg (D) and 9 mg/kg (E) and silymarin at the dose of 50 mg/kg (F) for 2 weeks. Arrowheads show α-SMA positive blood vessels, arrows show α-SMA immunopositivity in activated hepatic stellate cells. Scale bars=50 μm. A representative immunohistochemical stain for α-SMA from five mice. SMA, smooth muscle actin. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/jmf