Fig 4. Temporal changes in serum AST and ALT activities in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice at different p.i. time points and correlation analysis between the serum levels of miRNAs, liver enzymes and the severity of hepatopathology.

Serum AST and ALT activities were more dramatically up-regulated in BALB/c mice than in C57BL/6 mice during S. japonicum infection (A). Statistical significance between infected and naive mice was determined using 1-Way ANOVA. (* = P<0.05, ** = P<0.01, *** = P<0.001, **** = P<0.0001, ns = no significant difference). Correlations between the serum levels of miRNAs and AST level (B); ALT level (C), the severity of liver necrosis (D) and hepatic fibrosis (E) in both mouse strains were performed using Spearman’s Rho correlation.