Figure 5.

Pravastatin increased heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression in real time PCR and immunoblot. (A) Pravastatin (20 µM) significantly induced HO-1 mRNA expression. The addition of mevalonate (200 µM) significantly reduced the pravastatin induced HO-1 mRNA expression. The increase in mRNA expression at intermediate pravastatin concentrations (200 µM) was not modulated by mevalonate at all. (B) Representative immunoblot of HO-1 protein expression after pravastatin (200 µM) treatment with or without additional mevalonate (200 µM). (C) Pravastatin significantly increased HO-1 protein expression in ECFCs, whereas mevalonate reversed the pravastatin induced effect. Real time PCR was performed in triplicates for at least 2 independent runs. Immunoblots were performed at least 4 times. Con, control; Prava, pravastatin; Mev, mevalonate. ** p < 0.01 compared to control, ## p < 0.01 compared to 20 µM pravastatin; control group set as 1.