Figure 4.

Effect of hinokitiol on p21 expression and p53 activation in VSMCs. A, C – VSMCs were pre-treated in the presence or absence of hinokitiol for 24 h (A) or the indicated time period (C). The cells were then lysed, and the level of p21 (A) and p-p53 (C) was analyzed by immunoblotting. B, D – VSMCs were transiently transfected with p21cip/Waf1-luc (B) or PG-13-luc (D) and Renilla-luc for 48 h. Transfected VSMCs were pre-treated in the presence or absence of hinokitiol for 24 h. The luciferase activity was then determined. Data are expressed as mean ± S.E.M; (n = 3), *p < 0.05 compared to the control group