Figure 4.

PHx elicits delayed, additive profibrogenic response in fibrotic mice. A: Connective tissue staining (Sirius Red) demonstrates reactive collagen deposition around duct-like proliferations (arrows). Representative liver section of fibrotic mice 10 days after PHx. Oval cell marker A6 staining labels these ductular structures of the same area. B: Dramatic increase in profibrogenic expression which peaks 5 days after PHx in regenerating fibrotic liver (black bars) but not in normal liver (white bars). Liver samples were collected at selected time points after hepatectomy, and hepatic mRNA levels of procollagen α1(I) (collagen), α-SMA, TIMP-1, TGFβ1, and TGFβ2, and integrin β6 were analyzed by real-time PCR. Results represent means ± SEM expressed as fold change over normal mouse controls from 4 to 6 mice per group. ^∗P < 0.05 versus fibrotic livers before hepatectomy; ^∗∗P < 0.05 versus normal liver at corresponding time points.