Fig. 3

Inhibition of the LPS-induced prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) secretion and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression by PS + CR. RAW 264.7 cells were treated with 30–300 μg/ml of PS + CR for 1 h prior to the addition of LPS (1 μg/ml) and further incubated for 24 h. a Effects of PS + CR on the levels of PGE₂. PGE₂ concentrations in the culture medium were assayed using the PGE₂ ELISA kit as detailed in the Methods section. b Effects of PS + CR on COX-2 protein expression. Equal amounts of total protein (50 μg) were separated by SDS-PAGE. β-Actin was used as a loading control, and the bar chart shows the quantitative evaluation of COX-2 bands by densitometry. Values represent the mean ± S.D. of three independent experiments (significant compared to the control, ^**p < 0.01; significant compared to LPS alone, ^##p < 0.01)