Fig. 3.

AAN-II enhances activation of the TGF-β1/SMADs signaling pathways during ulcer healing. A The IPA analysis of AAN-II treatment-related DEG interaction network. B – Gene ontology analysis was done using a bioinformatics-based approach. C, D TGF-β1 and its downstream proteins p-Smad3, Smad3 and Smad7 were measured via western blotting in different groups. Data are representative of 3 independent experiments, shown as ratios of these proteins to GAPDH and presented as means ± SEM. *p < 0.05 compared with the control group. ^#p < 0.05 compared with the ulcer group. E, F TGF-β1 and its downstream proteins p-Smad3, Smad3 and Smad7 were measured via western blotting in different groups with or without TGF-β knockdown or AAN-II treatment. Data are representative of 3 independent experiments, shown as ratios of these proteins to GAPDH and presented as means ± SEM. *p < 0.05 compared with the TGF-β knockdown group