Fig. 6.

NL-SDT decreases foam-cell formation in vitro. (A, B, and D) Representative microscopic photographs of cells stained with Oil Red O. Scale bar: 10 μm. (C and E) Quantification of TC and free cholesterol contents in each group (n = 4). (F–N) The effects of NL-SDT on the transcription of genes associated with macrophage lipid metabolism in vitro (n = ~4–6). (O and P) Promotion of cholesterol efflux induced by NL-SDT and assessed by fluorometric assays measuring cholesterol efflux (n = ~4–5). Data are presented as means ± SD, and experiments were independently performed in triplicate. ANOVA followed by the Student–Newman–Keuls test was used for statistical analyses. ***P < 0.001 vs. control group; #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01, ###P < 0.001 vs. the NL-SDT group. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)