Figure 5.

Expression levels of inflammatory cytokines in sham group, model group, Tt-SOD 100 U g⁻¹ (low-dose) group, Tt-SOD 300 U g⁻¹ (medium-dose) group, and Tt-SOD 500 U g⁻¹ (high-dose) group. The levels of (a) TNF-α, (b) IL-1β, and (c) IL-8 in serum samples from each group were determined using ELISA. The mRNA levels of (d) TNF-α, (e) IL-1β, and (f) IL-8 were analyzed using RT-PCR. Results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. ^**P < 0.01, the indicated group versus sham group; ^#P < 0.05 and ^##P < 0.01, the indicated group versus model group. TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α; IL-1β: interleukin-1β; IL-8: interleukin-8; ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays; mRNA: messenger ribonucleic acid; RT-PCR: reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; Tt-SOD: Thermus thermophilic-superoxide dismutase.