SOX9 and Hepatic fibrosis: Furthermore, we examined the relative mRNA expression levels of key markers related to hepatic fibrosis (Acta2, Cola2, TGF-β1, and MMP2), cirrhosis (CXCR4, SOX9, DCN, and MFAP4), and cancer (Bcl2, CDKN2a, c-Myc, and Fn1) across the experimental groups.