VWF and Hepatic fibrosis: In line with these results, immunohistochemical staining (IHC) and qPCR analysis revealed increased expression of von Willebrand Factor (vWF), a glycoprotein secreted by endothelial cells to mediate platelet adhesion, and associated with thrombosis and liver fibrosis, in the SuHx vs. controls (Figures 2C,D).