Figure 3. Triptolide induced decrease in c-FLIP expression sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to TRAIL mediated cell death.
A. c-FLIP expression was detected by western blot MIA PaCa-2 and S2-VP10 cells treated with TRAIL or triptolide or a combination of both for 24h. β-actin expression was used as loading control.
B. Knockdown of c-FLIP by siRNA in MIA PaCa-2 and S2-VP10 cells was confirmed by western blot. β-actin expression was used as loading control.
C. Treatment of MIA PaCa-2 and S2-VP10 cells with a combination of TRAIL and c-FLIP siRNA significantly decreases cell viability after 24 hours of treatment. The bars represent mean ± SEM, n≥3. **p< 0.01.
D. PARP and caspase-3 cleavage was assessed in MIA PaCa-2 and S2-VP10 cells after treatment with TRAIL or c-FLIP siRNA or both using western blot. β-actin expression was used as loading control.
E. Treatment of MIA PaCa-2 and S2-VP10 cells with TRAIL or c-FLIP siRNA or a combination of both shows a significant increase in caspase-8 activation 24 hours post treatment. The bars represent mean ± SEM, n≥3. **p< 0.01.