Figure 3
HSM inhibits TGF-β1, collagen 3α1 and α-SMA expression in lung tissues of BLM–treated mice.
(a,c) mRNA levels of collagen 3α1 and TGF-β1 in lung tissues from each group of mice on day 21 were determined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. All data are presented as fold changes of gene expression normalized to β-actin. (b,d) Western blotting detection of collagen 3α1 and TGF-β1 expression from lung tissues of each group of mice on day 21. Increased collagen 3α1 and TGF-β1 levels were observed in BLM–treated mice (BLM + EtOH) compared with control mice (PBS + EtOH). (e) Representative α-SMA staining of lung tissue sections from control and experimental groups at day 21. α-SMA-positive cells (myofibroblasts and airway smooth muscle cells) decreased in HSM-pretreated mice compared with BLM-treated mice (scale bars = 50 μm). (f) Western blotting detection of α-SMA expression from lung tissues of each group of mice on day 21. The blots were analyzed by densitometry and normalized to β-actin. Data are presented as means ± SEM of at least three separate experiments. #P < 0.05 versus PBS + EtOH group. *P < 0.05 versus BLM + EtOH group.
