FIG 5.

Synergistic effect of Chlamydia pneumoniae with CNTs on IL-1β secretion from macrophages is blocked by treatment with caspase inhibitors. (A) Cells stimulated with or without C. pneumoniae in the presence of absence of CNTs were incubated with either 10 μM Z-VAD-FMK (a pan-caspase inhibitor) or 10 μM Z-WHED-FMK (a caspase-1 inhibitor) for 24 h, and then IL-1β secretion from macrophages was detected. Results are representative of three independent experiments. (B) Dose-dependent inhibition of IL-1β secretion from macrophages by the treatment with Z-WHED-FMK. sup, desalinized culture supernatants of THP-1 cells; cell, the remaining cells; VAD, Z-VAD-FMK; WHED, Z-WHED-FMK; Cpn, C. pneumoniae; CNT, carbon nanotube; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; IL-1β, interleukin-1β; LPS, lipopolysaccharide.