FN14 mRNA Expression Correlates with an Increased Number of Veins during Angiogenesis in the Process of Liver Fibrosis

In this study, we hypothesize that angiogenesis of special hepatic vessels such as sinusoid capillaries or veins is closely associated with increasing production of connective tissue in fibrogenesis. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were induced with hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver using thioacetamide. The number of sinusoidal capillaries, veins, arteries and the area of connective tissue were counted and determined. Immunohistochemical study was performed on paraffin sections using monoclonal mouse anti-CD31. mRNA expression was determined using qPCR. We found a statistically significant reduction in the number of sinusoidal capillaries (p<0.0001) and an increase in the number of interlobular veins (p<0.0001) in the fibrosis and cirrhosis groups compared to the control group. There are no differences in the number of interlobular arteries (p=0.282) in the three groups. In our analysis, we found that the expression (mRNA) of Fn14 correlated with the number of veins in liver fibrosis (r=0.44, p=0.008). Our data shows that modulation of veins angiogenesis during fibrosis in chronic liver diseases may play an important role in increasing pathological changes of the liver.