Fig. 1.

Combination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon (IFN)-γ upregulates cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS), and nitrite production. A: rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were exposed to LPS ± IFN-γ for 4 h, lysed, and probed for COX-2, iNOS, or actin by Western blot analysis. B: media collected from SMCs was analyzed for nitrite accumulation as measured by the Griess assay and normalized to protein. C and D: time course (0–240 min) of COX-1 and COX-2 expression following exposure of SMCs to LPS + IFN-γ. Shown are representative blots [n = 4 (A and B) and n = 3 (C and D)], and the ratio of protein of interest to actin control was expressed following densitometric analysis. Data are means ± SE. *P ≤ 0.05 vs. control or zero time.