Review Article

Hyaluronan’s Role in Fibrosis: A Pathogenic Factor or a Passive Player?

Figure 2

HA cables (green) on the surface of stimulated mucosal intestinal smooth muscle cells (M-SMCs) bind monocytes (round nuclei, red = CD44) (a) and platelets (red for CD42b) (b). Cultured M-SMCs were treated with polyI:C, a double-stranded RNA that mimics a viral infection, for 18 hours at 37°C. PolyI:C-stimulated M-SMCs were then coincubated with monocytes or platelets, methanol-fixed, and histochemically stained for HA (green and white arrows) and either CD44 (a) or CD42b (b) (scale bar = 25 µm).
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(b)