Fig. 4

Effect of SNS on HBx -induced MMP-9-, NF-κB-, and AP-1-dependent luciferase reporter gene expression. HepG2-HBx-GFP cells treated with increasing concentrations of SNS were transfected with MMP-9- a, NF-κB- b, or AP-1 c-containing plasmids linked to the luciferase gene. HepG2-HBx-GFP cells were pretreated with 100–800 μM SNS for 1 h, then treated with DOX for 16 h. After 16 h treated with DOX, cell lysates were assayed for luciferase activity. Results are expressed as fold-activity over that of untreated transfected cells. Values represent the mean ± SEM of 3 independent experiments. *p < 0.01 compared to HBx (DOX-treated) cells