Figure 4.

Sorafenib counteracts TGF-β1-induced EMT in primary cultured alveolar epithelial type II cells. (a) Sorafenib blocks TGF-β-mediated reporter activity. Primary cultured alveolar epithelial type II cells were transfected with the (CAGA)₁₂-Lux reporter, cultured with TGF-β1 and sorafenib as indicated, and analyzed using a luciferase assay. (b) In addition, primary cultured alveolar epithelial type II cells were incubated with TGF-β1 (10 ng/ml) in the absence or presence of sorafenib (5 μM) for 48 h. The extent of EMT was then evaluated by immunoblot analysis. (b) EMT was also examined by immunofluorescent staining for the epithelial marker ZO-1 (red) and the mesenchymal marker fibronectin (green). The nuclei were labeled with DAPI. The bar represents 50 μm for each section. *P<0.05; **P<0.01; as determined using Student's t-test