Figure 3.
Immunohistological comparison of stromal biomarkers in Huh-7/LX-2 mixed-cell spheroids with human HCC tumors and Huh-7 xenograft. Human tumor samples were obtained from FFPE archives of patients (see methods for details). Huh-7 xenografts were obtained 4 weeks after subcutaneous injection male Balb/c mice with 1 × 107 cells. H&E staining and immunohistological detection of α-SMA, Col-I, TGF-β1, and CTGF expression in paraffin sections of mixed-cell spheroids, human HCC and xenograft tissues, and normal mice liver. All the antibodies show specificity against human and mouse antigen. Scale bars, 100 μm (inset) and 50 μm. T, tumor region; NT, nontumor region; S, stroma region; arrows, fibrillar Col-I arrangement.