FIG. 2.

Nelfinavir blocks the TLR2-mediated activation of NF-κB. HMEC were transiently transfected with ELAM NF-κB luciferase, human TLR2 cDNA (0.3 μg), and β-galactosidase cDNA as described in Materials and Methods. Cells were treated with nelfinavir for 1 h prior to stimulation with PSM (100 ng/ml) and STF (5 μl/ml) for 5 h. NF-κB activation was assessed by measuring the luciferase activity with a Promega luciferase assay kit and a luminometer. β-Galactosidase colorimetric assays were performed to normalize for transfection efficiency. PSM-induced NF-κB activation was reported as 100%. The results are expressed as percentages of luciferase activity for three or more independent experiments and are reported as means ± SD.