Figure 3
Phenotype of the cells used in this study. (a) Early cultures of fibroblasts were characterized by a typical spindle-like shape (arrows) and gradually matured into myofibroblasts (b) revealing typical stellate-shaped morphology (arrows) over the course of culture. (c, d) The myofibroblast cell marker alpha-smooth muscle actin was detected in confluent cell cultures as indicated in Materials and methods. Scale bars = 100 μm.