Figure 8.

Effect of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) on angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced increases in the protein levels of phosphorylated IκBα (A) and activities of NF-κB (B) in endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were preincubated with AS-IV (30 µmol/L) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 30 µmol/L) in the presence or absence of N^G-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA, 1 mmol/L), LY294002 (10 µmol/L), or ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA, 500 nmol/L) for 1 h and then incubated with Ang II (1 µmol/L) for an additional 30 min. The protein levels of phosphorylated IκBα and activities of NF-κB in HUVECs were measured using a cell-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a specific TransAM NF-κB p65 Transcription Factor Assay Kit, respectively. ⁣^∗p < 0.05 compared with the control group; †p < 0.05 compared with HUVECs exposed to Ang II in the presence of AS-IV.