Fig. 6

Simvastatin suppresses TGF-β secretion and EMT phenotype. a Huh7 cells were transfected with control vector (pcDNA3.1)-, L-HDAg-, or S-HDAg-expressing plasmids, and treated with various concentrations of simvastatin. Cells were incubated 3 days with low level of FBS (2%), and TGF-β level in supernatant was measured by ELISA. Results shown are based on four independent experiments. *: p < 0.05; **: p < 0.01. b Cells were transfected as in (a), and then treated with simvastatin. After 9 days, levels of EMT markers, such as Twist, Snail, E-cadherin, and vimentin were analyzed by Western blotting. Hsp70 was used as internal control. Representative Immunoblot images are based on three independent experiments. Results shown are based on five independent experiments. *: p < 0.05; **: p < 0.01 (compared to DMSO control in the same group). c The HDV L-HDAg or control vector plasmids were transiently transfected into Huh7 cells and treated with 25 μM simvastatin (SIM) for 9 days. The mRNA levels of Twist target genes (AKT2 and NF1) and fibrosis marker genes (Serpin1 and TIMP1) were analyzed by RT-QPCR. Results shown are mean ± SD from five independent experiments. *: p < 0.05; **p < 0.01 (compared with controls without simvastatin treatment)