Figure 2.
Gliotoxin and parthenolide inhibit the mRNA expression of MCP-1 and iNOS in human MCs. A: Human MCs were pretreated with either gliotoxin or parthenolide (1 μg/ml), then washed and incubated with LPS/cytokines. The MCP-1 mRNA expression at 6 hours was analyzed by Northern blot. Relative amounts of mRNA were established in relation to 28S expression as fold increases versus control cells. B: The iNOS promoter activity was analyzed in human MCs transfected with piNOS-Luc and stimulated for 24 hours in medium alone (▪) or containing LPS/cytokines (□). Data of luciferase activity were normalized to Renilla activity and protein amounts, and are expressed as fold increases, compared with control. C: The NO production at 24 hours in medium alone (▪) or containing LPS/cytokines (□) was analyzed by measuring the absorbance of a fluorescent reaction. Data of nitrite production (nmol/mg protein) are mean ± SD of two to five experiments made in duplicate (*, P < 0.05 versus control without inhibitor).