Fig. 2

a Two hundred fibroblasts of the indicated type were cultured for 7 days and stained with Hoechst 33342 (red, nucleus) and anti-αSMA antibody (green); merged images are shown and representative results are presented. Scale bars, 50 μm. b Protein levels of intracellular αSMA in A-, B-, and C-type fibroblasts cultured for 7 days determined by FACS using FITC-conjugated anti-αSMA antibody, measured relative to the level using FITC-conjugated mouse IgG2a antibody as a control. The experiments were performed in triplicate, and the mean ± SD of the results obtained in three independent experiments are presented. *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01. c All fibroblast types were cultured until confluence, followed by incubation in the adipogenic differentiation medium for 14 days and stained with Hoechst 33342 (blue, middle and right), anti-fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) antibody (green, middle and right), and Oil Red-O (red, all panels). Merged images are shown (middle and right) and representative results are presented. Scale bars, left, middle 50 μm; right, 25 μm. d Proliferation rates of different fibroblast types (fibroblast number at day 7/fibroblast number at day 1). Data represent mean values ± standard deviations of the results obtained from three independent experiments performed in triplicate; **P < 0.01