Figure 4. PPARγ activation by curcumin is required for induction of HSC apoptosis.

Passaged HSC were pretreated or not with the specific PPARγ antagonist PD 68235 for 30 min prior to the addition of curcumin (Cur.; 20 μM) for an additional 24 h. HSC (≥1×10⁶ cells/sample) were fixed with ethanol and then labelled with propidium iodide (PI) for flow cytometric analyses (n=3). Results representative of three independent experiments are shown. Values are expressed as means±S.D. Significance: *P<0.05 compared with cells with no treatment; **P<0.05 compared with cells treated only with curcumin.