Fig. 4.

Stiffness modulates the crosstalk between sinusoidal cells of rats with cirrhosis.

LSECs and HSCs isolated from rats with cirrhosis were co-cultured for 36 h on polyacrylamide gels or TWs. (A) Analysis of LSEC capillarisation markers (Lamb1 and eNOS) after co-culture with HSCs cultured on stiff (30 kPa) or soft (0.5 kPa) matrices. (B) Analysis of HSC activation markers (α-SMA and collagen I) after co-culture with LSECs on polyacrylamide tuned gels. Data derived from 3 independent experiments and are expressed as mean ± SEM. Groups were compared with Student t test. ∗p <0.05 vs. 30 kPa; p >0.2 if not specified. eNOS, endothelial nitric oxide synthase; HSC, hepatic stellate cell; Lamb1, laminin b1; LSEC, liver sinusoidal endothelial cell; TW, transwell; α-SMA, α-smooth muscle actin.