Figure 3.

SSM promoted the transcriptional activation of Nrf2 in Caco-2 cells. (a, b) Caco-2 and HEK293T cells were transfected with plasmids, including pEF-Nrf2, pGL3-ARE, and pRL-TK, and then treated with 0 μM SSM (0.1% DMSO), 5 μM sulforaphane (SFN) (positive control), and various concentrations of SSM (10, 20, 40, and 80 μM) for 8, 16, and 24 h. The luciferase activities in three cells were detected using a Dual Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay Kit. (c–g) Total RNA was extracted from Caco-2 cells treated with 0 μM SSM (0.1% DMSO) or 40 μM SSM for 8, 16, and 24 h. mRNA expressions of the indicated genes were detected using qPCR and were normalized to GAPDH and β-actin. Data were expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 5). ^∗p < 0.05, ^∗∗p < 0.01, and ^∗∗∗p < 0.001 versus the DMSO treatment group.