Figure 1.

Concentration-dependent effect of thapsigargin on hepatic-cell viability. HepG2 cells were serum-starved for 8 h and treated with 0, 10, 100 and 1000 nM of thapsigargin for 16 h. Micro-cultures were assayed for the XTT conversion (a) to assess cell viability. Cell supernatant was collected and processed for the LDH activity (b) to determine cytotoxicity. Each line represents mean ± SEM from four independent experiments. Data are expressed as a percentage of the control conditions (CC). CC refer to vehicle-treated cells that correspond to 0 nM of the ER stressor and 0.1% DMSO (the vehicle). ** p ≤ 0.01; *** p ≤ 0.001, when compared to CC.