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

Figure 12  Significant increase of matrix metalloproteinases -2, -9, and vascular endothelial growth factor RNA expression after treatment of F0-F1 non-infected and infected liver slice cultures with palmitate (500 µmol/L). Biomarker expression estimated by real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. A: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)- 2, MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression (relative expression /mg tissue) during the 21 days follow up kinetics, in F0-F1 non-infected liver slice (LS) cultures treated without or with palmitate (500 µmol/L); B: MMP- 2, MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression (relative expression /mg tissue) during the 21 days follow up kinetics, in F0-F1 infected LS cultures treated without or with palmitate (500 µmol/L). Real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments were performed with five independent human F0-F1 liver samples (n = 5). LS were obtained in triplicate for each liver sample, at each time point in the kinetic studies. Values are expressed as means ± standard errors (n = 5). Levels of significance were as follows: ^jP < 0.001 subject vs control (non-treated palmitate), (two-way ANOVA test).