Figure 3. Promotion effects of TCS-401 on the expression of α-SMA in rat RPE cells in vitro. A: Immunolocalization of α-SMA in cultured rat RPE cells. RPE cells were stimulated with medium at different concentrations of TCS-401. ICC studies confirmed the TCS-401 concentration-dependent expression of α-SMA (green) and change in morphological characteristics of cells. PI staining (red) indicated nuclei. Original magnification=200X. B: Western blots showed levels of α-SMA proteins in rat RPE cells treated with TCS-401 at concentrations of 0.5, 1, and 2 μM for 24 h. The level of α-SMA protein rose along with higher concentrations. The data are representative of at least three independent experiments. α-SMA, α-smooth muscle actin; ICC, immunocytochemistry; PI, propidium iodide; RPE, retinal pigment epithelium.