Figure 9

Neutralization of Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) with its antibody attenuated the hypoxia-induced expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in BV-2 cells. HIF-1α was neutralized with its antibody to assess its role in TLR4 expression. TLR4 protein expression was evaluated in control BV-2 cells, BV-2 cells + HIF-1α Ab, BV-2 cells + hypoxia and BV-2 cells pretreated with HIF-1α Ab + hypoxia by western blot. The upper panel shows the specific band of TLR4 (95 kDa) and β-actin (43 kDa). The lower panel bar graph shows significant changes in the optical density in different groups mentioned above (given as fold change of control). Note that the increased TLR4 expression after hypoxia in BV-2 cells is significantly depressed with HIF-1α neutralization. *P <0.05 and **P <0.01. The values represent the mean ± SD in triplicate.