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

Figure 11  Significant increase of intracellular triglyceride production and RNA expression of fibrosis liver markers in non-fibrotic (F0-F1) hepatitis C virus INF liver slice cultures treated with palmitate (500 µmol/L) compared to non-infected and non-treated liver slice showed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses, respectively. A: Triglyceride production (µg/mg protein) during the 21 days follow up kinetics: Non-significant production in hepatitis C virus (HCV) INF liver slice (LS) compared to non-infected (NINF) LS: (ns NINF vs INF); significant increase in HCV INF LS treated with palmitate compared to NINF; B: Significant increase of TGF-β1 mRNA expression (Relative RNA expression /mg tissue) during the 21 days follow up kinetics, in HCV INF LS compared to NINF LS and in HCV INF LS treated with palmitate compared to NINF; C and D: (C) Intracellular (pg/mg protein) and (D) extracellular (pg/mL) TGF-β1 protein production during the 21 days follow up kinetics, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay assays, in F0-F1 NINF and HCV INFLS cultures treated or non-treated with palmitate; Significant increase in HCV INF LS compared to NINF LS; Significant increase in HCV INF LS treated with palmitate compared to NINF; E-G: Intracellular mRNA expression (Relative RNA expression /mg tissue) of the Procol1A1 (E), α-SMA (F), HSP47 (G) during the 21 days follow up kinetics: Significant increase in HCV INF LS compared to NINF LS; Significant increase in HCV INF LS treated with palmitate compared to NINF LS. Data are expressed as mean± SEM (F0-F1, n = 5); ^lP < 0.0001 infection factor; ^mP < 0.001 infection factor; ⁿP < 0.0001 palmitate factor (two-way ANOVA test).