Fig. 6

miR-29a-3p agomir-mediated elevation of miR-29a-3p partially reversed schistosome-induced hepatic fibrosis. Mice were infected percutaneously with 16 Schistosoma japonicum cercariae or remained uninfected. At 6 weeks post-infection, the infected mice were treated with praziquantel to kill the parasites and then received miR-29a-3p agomir, NC agomir, or PBS every 4 days for 28 days. Mice were necropsied at 10 weeks post-infection. A Time schedule for parasite infection and administration of anti-parasite drug or miR-29a-3p agomir and sample withdrawal. B Macrographs of livers and spleens from uninfected mice, infected mice, and infected mice treated with miR-29a-3p agomir. Scale bar, 1 cm. H&E, Masson's trichrome, and Sirius Red staining of liver sections and immunohistochemical staining for collagen I and α-SMA. Scale bar, 50 μm. C, D Liver and spleen indices were determined (n = 3–5). E, F Serum ALT and AST levels were measured (n = 5). G Collagen content in livers was determined by the hydroxyproline content (n = 4–5). H Fibrosis scores measured from Masson's trichrome staining of liver sections (n = 5). I Areas positive for Sirius Red staining were measured using IPP software (n = 5). J Granuloma size measured from H&E-stained liver sections (n = 5). K–N The expression of Col1α1, Col3α1, α-SMA, and TGF-β1 in livers during infection was detected by qPCR (n = 4). Data are presented as the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. Multiple comparisons were performed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s correction for comparisons between two groups (C–N). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. miR-29a-3p: microRNA-29a-3p; Robo1: Roundabout homolog 1; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; AST: aspartate aminotransferase