Skip to main content
. 2023 Dec 4;14:1292137. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1292137

FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 3

Imperatorin activates the phosphorylation cascade of LKB1/AMPK/CREB in NIH/3T3 and MRC-5 fibroblasts. The representative images of protein expression in NIH/3T3 (A) and MRC-5 fibroblasts (B) are shown. The cells were treated with imperatorin (1.5, 5, and 15 μg/mL) for 30 min, and the phosphorylation levels of LKB1, AMPK, and CREB in NIH/3T3 (C,E,G) and MRC-5 fibroblasts (D,F,H) were analyzed by Western blotting. (I) NIH/3T3 cells were pre-treated with ara-A (2 or 10 μM) or compound C (1 and 5 μM), which are both AMPK inhibitors, 30 min before imperatorin administration (15 μg/mL) for another 30 min. Note that imperatorin-induced CREB phosphorylation was antagonized by ara-A and compound C. (J) NIH/3T3 cells were treated with the AMPK activator AICAR (0.1, 0.3, and 1 mM) for 30 min, followed by the examination of CREB phosphorylation. Graphs show the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. The p-value was calculated using one-way ANOVA and multiple comparison procedures (Holm–Sidak). * p <0.05, ** p <0.01, *** p <0.001 compared to the control group. ## p <0.01 compared to the imperatorin-treated group.