Figure 2.

CCl₄ Treatment Promotes Cirrhosis and Tumor Formation in the Livers of TG221 Mice

Representative macroscopic and ultrasound images of livers from untreated WT (A), CCl₄-treated WT (B), untreated TG221 (C), and CCl₄-treated TG221 (D) mice. Livers of untreated TG221 and WT mice look a little different, as the aberrant expression of miR-221 in the liver of TG221 is responsible for an increase in volume and a pale exterior associated with steatohepatitis changes, as previously described.¹⁶ Livers of CCl₄-treated mice presented a cirrhotic appearance with a granulated surface. At the time of sacrifice, macroscopic nodules were evident in the livers of 100% of TG221 mice (as indicated by red arrows), but not in WT mice. Ultrasound images show the presence of ascites (yellow arrows) in both CCl4-treated WT and TG221 mice, while liver nodules were only visible in TG221 mice (delimited by plus symbol and indicated by red arrows). Conversely, untreated WT and TG221 mice show homogeneous liver parenchyma, with no ascites or nodules. (E) The numbers of nodules detected by histopathological examination were significantly higher in TG221 mice than in CCl₄-treated WT mice (p value < 0.001). In the image, TG221 is indicated as TG.