Fig. 5.

1,25(OH)₂D₃ ameliorated the accumulation of intracellular and mitochondrial calcium caused by PM in BEAS-2B cells. (A) Changes in Fluo-4 fluorescence, representing changes in intracellular calcium levels, were measured at baseline (for 90 s) and after PM stimulation (indicated by the arrow; for 360 s). Representative graphs are shown. (B) The area under curve (AUC) of the calcium flux was calculated for the 360 s of PM stimulation after background subtraction, and presented as mean ± SD of three independent experiments. The beneficial effects of (C) antioxidants or (D) 1,25(OH)₂D₃ on calcium deregulation in cells exposed to PM were shown. (E, F) 1,25(OH)₂D₃ restored PM-induced elevation in mitochondrial calcium level, measured by flow cytometry using Rhod-2 AM. ^***P < 0.001 and ^**P < 0.01 vs. untreated cells (control); ^##P < 0.01 and ^#P < 0.05 vs. PM-stimulated group (n = 3)