Figure 2.

Effects of hoveniae semen seu fructus ethanol (HSFE) extract on (a) iNOS and COX-2 proteins and (b) their mRNA gene expressions. Cells were seeded with 1.5 × 10⁶ cells/well on a 6-well culture plate and preincubated for 18 h. Then, macrophages were stimulated with LPS for 24 h after 1 h pretreatment with HSFE. At least three independent tests were repeated to ensure reproducibility. Data in the histograms show protein or mRNA expression levels relative to those of β-actin. The experiment was repeated three times independently, and similar results were obtained. Data represent the mean ± SEM from three independent experiments. ^#P < 0.001 (vs. control) and ^∗∗P < 0.001 (vs. LPS) values were considered statistically significant. Con: control.