Exemestane Attenuates Hepatic Fibrosis in Rats by Inhibiting Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells and Promoting the Secretion of Interleukin 10

Figure 4

Effects of EXE on HSC activation and proliferation in vitro. (a) Bright field images of the control and EXE-treated HSCs at day 4 of culture. Scale bar 50 μm. (b) EXE-treated and control cells were fixed at day 4 and immunostained with α-SMA antibodies. Scale bar 50 μm. (c) At day 2, EXE-treated and control HSCs were exposed to EdU and fixed 2 days later and stained with Azide488 to visualize the DNA incorporated EdU. The percentage of EdU-positive cells was determined from three independent experiments. Scale bar 50 μm. (d) mRNA levels of Acta2, Myh11, Coll1a1, and Timp1 in HSCs with or without EXE treatment were determined by qPCR (10 rats/group). Data were expressed as means ± SD. , .

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