Figure 4.

The effects of KC on HO-1 expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with KC (50 or 100 μM) and stimulated with LPS (1 µg/mL). The expression of HO-1 (A) was investigated by western blot analysis using the total protein extract, and HO-1 activity (B) was investigated using an ELISA-based method in nuclear protein extracts. The effects of HO-1 inhibition were investigated by measuring NO production in the presence of HO-1 inhibitor (SnPP) in the stimulated cells (C). The expression of Nrf2 (D) was investigated by western blot analysis in total protein extracts, and the DNA binding activity of Nrf2 (E) was measured using an ELISA-based method nuclear protein extracts. Error bars represent the means ± SDs, # p < 0.001 vs. control, *** p < 0.001 vs. LPS-only treated cells