Fig. 3
The TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway is regulated by miR-497 via targeting of Smad7. LX-2 cells were transfected with miR-497 inhibitor as well as its scramble and then stimulated by TGF-β1 for 48 h, and the cells were harvested for qRT-PCR and western blot. a The relative levels of mature miR-497 were determined by qRT-PCR. b The expression of Smad7 and the down-stream p-Smad2/3 were detected by western blot. c, d The activation of HSCs was evaluated by the levels of Acta2 (encoding α-SMA) and Col1a1 (encoding COLI) using both qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. e The levels of α-SMA and collagen I (COLI) production using western blot in LX-2 cells transfected with miR-497 inhibitor as well as its scramble and then stimulated by CsESPs for 48 h. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, compared with the indicated group. All the data represent at least three independent experiments