This study has some limitations. It was reported that TGF-1
could be a primary mediator for both fibrosis and apoptosis (Gooch
et al. 2004). TGF-1 activates caspases and the Fas pathway (Kim
et al. 2004), and TGF-1-induced CTGF lead to cancer cell apoptosis
by inhibiting Bcl-2 expression (Hishikawa et al. 1999). In the
present study, although the Fas, Bcl-2, CTGF and TGF-1 protein
expression were detected, respectively, we did not investigate the
causality between TGF-1 and other protein expression (CTGF, Fas
and Bcl-2). To expose the causality between apoptosis and fibrosis,
further studies are needed.