FIG. 2.

COX-2 silencing attenuates Ni and MALP-2–stimulated release of proangiogenic factors from HLF. HLF were transiently transfected with 50nM of COX-2 siRNA or a NTC prior to a 48 h combined Ni and MALP-2 exposure. (A) Western blot analysis indicating siRNA-mediated knockdown of Ni and MALP-2 (NiM)–induced COX-2 protein expression. GAPDH is shown as a loading control. Conditioned medium from the different treatment groups was analyzed using specific enzyme-linked immunoassays for (B) VEGF, (C) CXCL1, (D) CXCL5, (E) CXCL8. Data shown are mean ± SEM and are representative of three independent experiments performed in triplicate. **p < 0.01 compared with NTC.