Table 3.

Effect of AG, L-NAME, DEX or ActD on rat hepatocytes NO production stimulated by CM only in vitro

Groups	n	c (NO2-) (μmol·L-1)	Inhibition rate (%)
Control	12	6.0 ± 2.4
Cytokines mixture (CM)	12	12.1 ± 4.5b
CM + Dexamethasone (10 μmol·L-1)	12	8.1 ± 2.3c	33.9
CM + L-NAME (0.1 mmol·L-1)	12	7.8 ± 1.6c	35.5
CM + Aminoguanidine (0.1 mmol·L-1)	12	5.8 ± 1.1d	52.2
CM + Actinomycin D (0.2 ng·L-1)	15	5.7 ± 2.3d	53.8

CM (Cytokines mixture): IL-1β 10 KU·L^-1, TNF-α 500 KU·L^-1, and IFN-γ 100 KU·L^-1 plus LPS 10 mg·L^-1; cultured hepatocytes were harvested from rats that control group stimulated in vitro with CM in the absence or presence of inhibitors (AG, L-NAME, ActD or DEX, respectively) for 24 h; the amount of nitrite in the supernatant was assayed 24 h after start of stimulation in vitro. ^-x ± s, n = 12 or 15 rats (3 wells for each treatment in each expriment); ^bP < 0.01, compared with control. ^cP < 0.05, ^dP < 0.01, compared with CM.