Fig. 3.

S100A9 blockade attenuates inflammatory response and apoptosis in lungs. a, b S100A9 blockade attenuated the activation of NF-κB in the lungs of LPS-treated mice. c, d The secretion levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in BALF were measured using an ELISA kit. e The caspase-3 activity was determined using an assay kit. f–h The protein expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax in the lungs were determined by western blot analysis. The semi-quantified results are shown in g and h. Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM (n = 6 for each group). Statistical analysis was carried out using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's multiple comparison test. ^**P < 0.01 vs. the control group; ^##P < 0.01 vs. the LPS group. S100A9 S100 calcium binding protein A9, NF-κB nuclear factor κB, LPS lipopolysaccharide, TNF-α tumor necrosis factor α, IL-1β interleukin 1β, BALF bronchoalveolar lavage fluids