Figure 4.

Effect of pAuNPs on PDGF signaling in VSMCs.

Notes: Cells were preincubated with Veh or pAuNPs (2 and 5 ppm) for 30 minutes, followed by PDGF (10 ng/mL) stimulation for (A) 10 minutes or (B) the indicated duration. After incubation, cells were collected, and protein phosphorylation and expression were determined by Western blotting (n=3). Similar data were quantitatively analyzed by densitometry. The phosphorylation level of each protein was calculated by the ratio of the expression level of phosphorylated protein to the expression level of the corresponding total protein. Data are expressed as fold changes relative to the basal level (untreated with PDGF). There is no significance between PDGF+vehicle control and each pAuNP treatment group.

Abbreviations: pAuNPs, physically synthesized gold nanoparticles; VSMC, vascular smooth muscle cell; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; Veh, vehicle.