Fig. 7.

Rk1 and Rg5 impaired TGF-β1- induced sphere formation and stemness properties. A. A549 Cells were cultured in serum-free medium (SFM) in the presence or absence of TGF-β1 (5 ng/mL) with or without Rk1 or Rg5. Representative images were acquired during the culturing under a light microscope. A549 cells were cultured in SFM for 14 d. B. The mRNA levels of lung CSCs markers (CD44, CD133, (Oct-4), (Nanog), and (SOX-2)) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. ∗∗p < 0.01, ∗p < 0.05 vs control and ##p < 0.01 #p < 0.05 vs TGF-β1 treated control. The data are expressed as mean ± SD for triplicates.