Fig. 4.

Western blot analysis of p38 kinases and (a) JNKs and (b) STAT3. Lysates of PBMCs (5 µg) obtained from normal subjects and UC patients before and after their first LCAP were harvested after stimulation with LPS at 10 µg/ml for the indicated time periods. Phosphorylation of p38 kinases and (a) JNKs or (b) STAT3 was determined by Western blotting. In STAT3 expression, only data for LPS-stimulated PBMCs were presented because STAT3 phosphorylation was consistently undetectable in unstimulated PBMCs. Data are representative of three separate experiments. JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; STAT, signal transducer and activator of transcription; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell; UC, ulcerative colitis; LCAP, leukocytapheresis; LPS, lipopolysaccharide.