Hepatic microenvironment underlies fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients

Figure 3 Activation of hepatic stellate cells with growth factors and inflammatory factors. A: qPCR of fibroblast activation genes in LX-2 cells treated with various growth factors or cytokines for 16 h; B: qPCR of fibroblast activation genes in LX-2 cells treated with platelet-derived growth factor for 48 h. Values presented are expressed as the means ± SE; P value < 0.05 was considered significant; ^aP < 0.05; ^bP < 0.01; ^cP < 0.001. α-SMA: Alpha-smooth muscle actin; COL1A1: Collagen type 1 alpha 1 chain; TIMP1: Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1; TGF-β1: Transforming growth factor β1; PDGF: Platelet-derived growth factor; CTGF: Connective tissue growth factor.