Role of interleukin-1 and its antagonism of hepatic stellate cell proliferation and liver fibrosis in the Abcb4-/- mouse model

Figure 2 Interleukin-1β exerts proliferative effects in primary murine hepatic stellate cells, while Anakinra reduces hepatic stellate cell proliferation in vitro. The effects of IL-1β± the IL-1 receptor antagonist Anakinra on the proliferation of murine HSCs were tested in vitro. A and B: The effects on HSC proliferation were examined using the BrdU assay after stimulation of cells with vehicle, and IL-1β at 0.1 and 1 ng/mL in the presence and absence of Anakinra (2.5 μg/mL), respectively (samples from n = 6 donor animals, ^bP < 0.01; ^dP < 0.001; ANOVA). HSC: Hepatic stellate cells; IL-1: Interleukin-1; ANOVA: Analyses of variance.