Figure 2.

The ERK pathway mediates visfatin-induced MMP-2 expression and cell migration. (A–F) Cells were pretreated with an ERK inhibitor (ERK II) or transfected with an ERK siRNA, then stimulated with visfatin. Cell migration and levels of MMP-2 expression were examined by Transwell, wound healing, and qPCR. (G) Cells were incubated with visfatin for the indicated time intervals; ERK phosphorylation was examined by Western blot. Quantitative results are expressed as the mean ± SD. All experiments were repeated 3 to 5 times. * p < 0.05 compared with the UT group; # p < 0.05 compared with the visfatin-treated group. UT, untreated control.