Adult human liver slice cultures: Modelling of liver fibrosis and evaluation of new anti-fibrotic drugs

Figure 9 Significantly increase in TGF-β1 protein and RNA expression of α-SMA, and HSP47 in non-infected or hepatitis C virus-infected non-fibrotic (F0-F1) liver slice cultures treated with 1 mmol/L, 5 mmol/L and 25 mmol/L of ethanol was shown by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. A and B: TGF-β1 intracellular protein expression (pg/mg protein) during 21 days follow up kinetics, in non-infected (A) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected (B) F0-F1 liver slice (LS) cultures, treated with 1 mmol/L, 5 mmol/L, 25 mmol/L of ethanol (EtOH); C and D: Relative α-SMA RNA expression level (relative RNA expression/mg tissue) during 21 days follow up kinetics, in non-infected (C) and HCV-infected (D) F0-F1 LS cultures treated with 1 mmol/L, 5 mmol/L, 25 mmol/L of EtOH; E and F: Relative HSP47 RNA expression level expression (relative RNA expression / mg tissue) during 21 days follow up kinetics, in non-infected (E) and HCV-infected (F) F0-F1 LS cultures treated with 1 mmol/L, 5 mmol/L, 25 mmol/L of EtOH. All presented data take into account the viability of the liver slice cultures. Values are expressed as means ± SEMs (n = 5); Levels of significance: ^kP < 0.0001 subject vs control (non-treated); ^jP < 0.001 subject vs control (non-treated); ⁱP < 0.01 subject vs control (non-treated), ^hP < 0.05 subject vs control (non-treated) (two-way ANOVA test).