FIG 1.

Inhibitory effect of Rg1 and Re on LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages. (A) Effect of Rg1 and Re on SEAP secretion by RAW-Blue cells stimulated with LPS. RAW-Blue cells were pretreated with Rg1 or Re at 10, 30, 50, or 70 μg/ml for 1 h and then incubated with LPS for 20 h. After incubation, supernatants were collected for a SEAP secretion assay using QUANTI-Blue substrate. Absorbance was measured at 630 nm by an ELISA plate reader. OD, optical density. (B to E) Effects of Rg1 and Re treatment on the expression and production of inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated macrophages. RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with Rg1 or Re at 50 μg/ml for 1 h and were then incubated with LPS for 20 h. After that, real-time PCR was used to analyze the mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS of the cells (B); Western blot analysis was performed to measure TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS levels of the cell lysates (C); and relevant reagent kits were used to analyze NO (D) and PGE2 (E) in the supernatants. Values are means ± SD (n = 3). PBS, phosphate-buffered saline. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01 (two-tailed Student's t test).