(A) Representative bright-field optical microscopy (OM, bar = 50 μm) and EM images (bar = 250 nm) of the transdifferentiation of MCs in the different groups. Anti-dsDNA antibodies induced myofibroblast-like phenotype transdifferentiation of MCs (indicated by the red arrows in OM and the black arrows in EM), and the transdifferentiation was ameliorated after TNF-α down-regulation. (B) Relative ICAM-1 and TNF-α expression in the MCs from the different groups (real-time PCR). (C) Representative Western blots showing ICAM-1 and TNF-α levels in MCs from the different groups. (D) Relative ICAM-1 expression in MCs from the different groups (Western blot). *P<0.05 compared with the control group; ^#P<0.05 compared with Group A. Control, normal group; Group A, anti-dsDNA group; Group B, scrambled siRNA + anti-dsDNA + emodin group; Group C, TNF-α siRNA + anti-dsDNA + emodin group.