Fig. 3

Effect of SNS on HBx-induced MMP-9 expression and activity. a Conditioned medium was collected from cultures after 24 h and analyzed by gelatin zymography. HepG2-HBx-GFP cells were cultured in 25 cm² flasks, pretreated with 100–800 μg/ml of SNS for 1 h, then treated with DOX for 16 h. b Western blot analyses showed MMP-9 secretion into the culture medium (supernatant) and MMP-9. HepG2-HBx-GFP cells were pretreated with 100–800 μM SNS for 1 h, then treated with DOX for 16 h. Nuclear and cytosolic extracts were then prepared and subjected to western blot analysis using antibodies specific for MMP-9 expression. c Values of MMP-9 expression in the cytosol represent the mean ± SEM of 3 independent experiments. *p < 0.01 compared to HBx-expressing cells