Fig. 1

Liver fibrosis-associated LSEC capillarization contributes to aggressive HCC development. A Schematic diagram of liver fibrosis-associated HCC mouse model. B Tumor growth curve and C Bioluminescence imaging of tumor and representative liver tumor morphology at the endpoint. D Statistical analysis of tumor volume and weight. E Representative pictures of Masson trichrome staining, α-SMA immunofluorescence in mice non-fibrotic and fibrotic liver tissue. Scale bar stands for 50 μm. Yellow dotted line indicates the border between non-tumor and tumor tissue. The quantification of collagen density, α-SMA expression were shown. F LYVE1 and CD31 co-immunofluorescence in mice non-fibrotic and fibrotic liver tissue, scale bar stands for 50 μm. Scanning electron micrographs illustrating the morphological response of LSEC. Scale bar stands for 1 μm. The quantification of LYVE1 and CD31 expression were shown, as well as the porosity and fenestration on LSEC. G Percentage of α-SMA, CD31 fluorescence and tumor weight are pairwise positively correlated. H Kaplan–Meier overall survival and disease-free survival curves of HCC patients with non-fibrotic tumor (n = 26) or fibrotic tumor (n = 38). I Expressions of α-SMA and CD31 in non-fibrotic HCC and fibrotic HCC tissues as determined by immunohistochemistry. Scale bar stands for 50 μm.*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001