In vivo hepatic differentiation potential of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells: Therapeutic effect on liver fibrosis/cirrhosis

Figure 5 Immunohistochemcial staining for α-smooth muscle actin in hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis groups (× 400). A: Immunohistochemcial staining for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in hepatic fibrosis groups; B: Immunohistochemcial staining for α-SMA in hepatic cirrhosis groups. In normal rat liver, α-SMA was occasionally detected in vascular smooth muscle cells, and the expression level was low, revealing few activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). After CCl4 administration, the α-SMA spread to the portal area, showing more activated HSCs. The expression of α-SMA in liver tissues increased significantly in the saline infusion group compared with the normal group. Compared with the saline infusion groups, they significantly decreased in the MSC transplantation groups.