Fig. 2.

Synergistic effects of auranofin (AF) and sulforaphane (SFN) on the inhibition of TrxR1 activity and cell viability in Hep3B cells. Hep3B, HepG2 cells and primary hepatocytes were incubated with auranofin and sulforaphane alone or together for 24 h. (A, D, E, G) Cellular TrxR activity was measured in vitro using an DTNB assay. (B, F, H) Cell viability was determined by an MTT assay. The absorbance was measured using an ELISA plate reader and compared to the control which was set to 100%. The data are the average of three independent experiments (mean ± SD). Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test (**p<0.01 and ***p<0.001). (C) The isobologram analysis for the synergism of auranofin and sulforaphane was drawn based on the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀). The straight lines connecting the respective IC₅₀ values for the two agents correspond to the effects independent of each other, and the values below the straight lines indicate the synergistic effects.