Figure 2.

Knockdown of Neat1 inhibited CCl₄-induced liver fibrosis in mice. Mice were randomized into four groups: (i) a control group (normal mice), (ii) CCl₄ group (CCl₄-induced mice), (iii) CCl₄+ Lv-shCtrl group, and (iv) CCl₄+ Lv-shNeat1 group. (a) The expression of Neat1 in the Lv-shNeat1 group was inhibited. (b) The effect of Neat1 knockdown on miR-148a-3p or miR-22-3p levels. (c) Quantification of the hepatic hydroxyproline content in different experimental groups. (d) Assessment of tissue damage using H&E staining. (e) Evaluation of liver fibrosis using Masson’s trichrome staining. (f-g) The degree of liver fibrosis was evaluated by staining tissue sections with Sirius Red. (h) The levels of the α-SMA and type I collagen proteins were detected using western blotting. (i) The expression levels of α-SMA and type I collagen were detected using IHC staining. N = 6; **P< 0.01, compared with Control group; ^##P< 0.01, compared with CCl₄ group