Figure 2.

Increased mRNA and protein levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in lung fibroblasts from COPD patients. (a) Real-time RT-PCR was adopted to evaluate the transcription levels of IL-8, and the relative expression was calculated based on the expression of GAPDH. **P = 0.002, when compared to control group. (b) The relationship of IL-8 mRNA and FEV₁. (c) The protein level of IL-8 of primary lung fibroblasts from subjects with COPD. ELISA was adopted to measure the concentration of IL-8 in the cell-free supernatants. ***P < 0.001, when compared to control group. (d) The relationship of IL-8 secretion.