Production and activity of matrix metalloproteinases during liver fibrosis progression of chronic hepatitis C patients

Figure 7 Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase -1 evaluations in the fibrosis grades. A: Representative serum protein load (5 µg/µL) onto the PVDF membrane stained with the Ponceau S solution; B: Representative dot blot assay of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 in the different fibrosis stages (F0-F4) compared with healthy subjects; C: Densitometric analysis of each fibrosis stage and the controls (CTs; black bars) was expressed as relative optical density (ROD). Random serum samples (n = 5) of each fibrosis stage were evaluated in triplicate. ROD analysis was performed using ImageJ software, and bars display the mean ± standard error of the mean. Group comparisons: 1 = F0 vs F2^c; 2 = F0 vs F4^c; 3 = F1 vs F2^c; 4 = F1 vs F4^c; 5 = F2 vs F3^c; 6 = F2 vs F4^c; 7 = F3 vs F4^c; 8 = CT vs F2^c; 9 = CT vs F4^c; ^cP < 0.001 in all the groups compared.