FIG. 7.

Effects of DEX on TNF-α production by THP-1 cells induced by FSL-1 and/or ATP. THP-1 cells (10⁶ cells/ml) were treated at 37°C for 1 h with 10 nM DEX and then incubated for 8 h after the addition of 10 nM FSL-1 and/or 500 μM ATP. The culture supernatant was collected and assayed for the amount of TNF-α by ELISA. Results, expressed as the means ± SD of triplicate wells, are representative of three separate experiments. Statistical significance was analyzed by t test. ∗, P < 0.005 versus the absence of DEX.