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. 2014 Oct 2;9(10):e109628. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109628

Figure 2. Effects of simvastatin on EMT and fibronectin expression in HPMCs.

Figure 2

(A) HPMCs were incubated for 72 hr with 5.6 mM glucose (NG), NG + mannitol (94.4 mM, NG+M), NG+1 µM simvastatin (NG + statin), high glucose (100 mM, HG), or HG+1 µM simvastatin (HG + statin) (A representative of five Western blots). E-cadherin protein expression was significantly lower, while the protein expression of Snail, α-SMA, and fibronectin were significantly higher in HG-stimulated HPMCs compared to NG cells, and these changes were significantly attenuated by simvastatin. *; p<0.05 vs. NG, †; p<0.05 vs. HG. (B) Compared to NG cells, HPMCs cultured under HG medium showed a weak staining of E-cadherin, a strong signal intensity of α-SMA, and increased nuclear translocation of Snail, all of which were ameliorated by the administration of simvastatin (×400).