Suppression of ERK1/2 activity decreases HPAEC proliferation. HPAECs were treated with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or PD98059 at concentrations of 10 (PD 10), 20 (PD 20), or 30 (PD 30) µM for 24 or 48 h, following which cell proliferation was assessed by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The values are presented as mean ± SD (n = 10/group). Two-way ANOVA analysis showed an effect of PD and duration of exposure and an interaction between them for the dependent variable, absorbance at 570 nm, in this figure. Significant differences between DMSO- and PD-treated cells are indicated by * p < 0.001 (Two-way ANOVA).