Fig 5. Comparison of α-SMA and HDAC4 expression in 10th culture day of activated HSCs of WT and miR-29aTg mice after treatment with a miR-29a mimic and anti-sense inhibitor for 24 hours.

Expression of α-SMA (red) and HDAC4 (green) were much greater in activated HSCs of WT mice than in miR-29aTg mice. Treatment with a miR-29a mimic in activated HSCs of WT inhibited α-SMA and HDAC4 expression as well as HDAC nuclear translocation. In contrast, treatment with miR-29a anti-sense inhibitor in miR-29aTg mice increased α-SMA and HDAC4 expression as well as HDAC4 nuclear translocation. Data are expressed as the mean ± SE of four independent experiments. *indicates a p < 0.05 between the groups.