Involvement of heat shock protein 47 in Schistosoma japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice.

Chronic infection with the blood fluke Schistosoma japonicum is associated with both liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Previously, heat shock protein 47, a collagen-specific molecular chaperone, was shown to play a critical role in the maturation of procollagen. However, less is known about the role of heat shock protein 47 in S.

[Expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 and connective tissue growing factor in schistosomal hepatic fibrosis of mice].

Objective: To establish the model of hepatic fibrosis in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum and observe the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and connective tissue growing factor (CTGF) in mice model.

Methods: Thirty BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to control group and model group. Each mouse of model group was infected with (30 +/- 1) S.