Fig. 3
From: Can endocan serve as a molecular “hepatostat” in liver regeneration?
a Induction of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy revealed by RT-qPCR analyses. Pcna mRNA expression levels of liver tissues obtained from the rats demonstrated that highest proliferative activity was observed on day-1. Pcna expression gradually declined after 48 h and returned to its baseline value on day-5 after partial hepatectomy. b Induction of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy revealed by immunohistochemistry. The PCNA labeling index was calculated as the proportion of PCNA-positive hepatocytes. Immunohistochemical evaluations of PCNA expressions of liver tissues obtained from the rats demonstrated that highest proliferative activity was observed on Day-1. PCNA expression gradually declined after 48 h and returned to its baseline value on Day-5. c Representative image of immunohistochemical staining showing hepatocyte nuclei stained with PCNA on Day-0 (control). PCNA proliferative activity of hepatocytes was determined as approximately 10% (× 200) (scale bar, 50 μm). d Representative image of immunohistochemical staining showing hepatocyte nuclei stained with PCNA in residual liver tissue on Day-1 after partial hepatectomy. Most of the hepatocytes (90%) expressed PCNA (× 200) (scale bar, 50 μm). (PCNA-positive nuclei are marked with blue arrows, indicating the cells in S-phase of the cell cycle)