Proliferation of primary activated HSCs was measured by crystal violet assay.

<p>A miR-29a mimic or HDAC4 RNAi inhibited the proliferation of primary HSCs. In addition, treatment with a miR-29a anti-sense inhibitor significantly increased HSC proliferation. Data are expressed as the mean ± SE of four independent experiments. *indicates a p < 0.05 between the groups.