Fig. 8.

Bile acids promote hepatic injury. A: Concentration of free and conjugated bile acid subspecies in the plasma of CTRL and taurocholic acid-fed mice. The tr indicates that only trace levels of this bile acid could be measured. B: Relative expression of genes encoding enzymes of bile acid synthesis and bile acid transporters. Gene expression levels in CTRL mice were set at one. C: Activity of ALT in plasma. D: Relative expression of inflamation-related genes in the liver. Gene expression levels in CTRL mice were set at one. E: H&E staining of representative liver sections. F: Relative expression of fibrosis-related genes in the liver. Gene expression levels in CTRL mice were set at one. G: Representative pictures of liver sections stained for collagen using fast green FCF/Sirius red F3B. Inset is a higher magnification of the collagen deposition as observed in the livers of the taurocholic acid-fed mice. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Asterisks indicate significantly different compared with CTRL. *P < 0.05, **P ≤ 0.001.