FIG. 3.

Treatment with the AHE and the AHB induces ARE and XRE activation. (A) Real-time PCR analysis of AHE- or AHB-induced Nqo1 mRNA expression in Hepa1c1c7 and BPrc1 cells. The cells were treated with 50 μg/mL of the AHE or AHB for 48 h. The data are expressed as the mean±SD (n=3). Asterisks indicate significant differences compared to the vehicle-treated group (*P<.05; ***P<.001). (B, C) Activation of the ARE (B) and XRE (C) by the AHE or AHB was measured using an ARE- or XRE-containing reporter construct. The cells were treated with the indicated concentrations (50, 100, and 200 μg/mL) of the AHE for 24 h. A 5 μM concentration of sulforaphane (SF) or a 0.1 μM concentration of 3-methylcolanthrene (3-MC) was used as a positive control for ARE or XRE activation, respectively. The results represent the mean±SD; n=4. Asterisks denote significant differences as compared to the control (*P<.05; **P<.01). ARE, antioxidant response element; XRE, xenobiotic response element.