Signal transduction mechanism of TRB3 in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Figure 1 The degree of hepatic steatosis in each group. A: In group A, mild hepatic steatosis was observed on histological examination (HE, × 200); B: In group A, moderate hepatic steatosis was observed (HE, × 200); C: In group B, hepatocytes showed severe hepatic steatosis. Liver cells with hepatic steatosis accounted for over 75% of the total liver cells (HE, × 200); D: In group B, hepatocytes showed severe steatosis along with portal inflammation (HE, × 200).

Figure 2 Fluorescent quantitative PCR for measurement of TRB3 mRNA expression levels. Real-time PCR was used for absolute quantification analysis. A: Amplification curve with the threshold value set in the exponential growth phase; B: Melting curve showing no primer dimer in PCR reaction; C: Standard curve for the relation (r = 0.99) between amplified results of PCR and Ct value of standard samples was in accordance with the requirements of real-time PCR. The intensities of fluorescent signals indicated the variation of product concentrations.

Figure 3 Comparison of TRB3 expression levels among the three groups. The TRB3 mRNA expression level in group B was significantly (P < 0.01) higher than in the control group and group A. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between group A and the control group.