Figure 3

Inhibition of gp120-mediated IL-8 expression by pharmacological inhibitors and siRNAs specific for the NF-κB pathway. SVGA astrocytes were treated with 10 μM of SC514 (IKK-2 Inhibitor) and BAY11-7082 (IKKβ) for 24 hours followed by gp120 transfection in the presence of inhibitor. The appropriate inhibitor concentration was maintained throughout experiment. The relative IL-8 mRNA expressions (A) and protein expressions (B) are expressed as a percentage of levels in inhibitor-treated gp120-transfected cells relative to untreated cells. For siRNA experiments, SVGA astrocytes were transfected with NF-κB pathway-specific siRNAs for 48 hours followed by gp120 transfection. mRNA and protein levels were determined at 6 and 48 hours post-transfection, respectively. Inhibition of IL-8 mRNA (C) and protein (D) are presented as a percentage of IL-8 expression in gp120-transfected cells. Each bar represents mean ± SE for 3 independent experiments with each experiment done in triplicates. Student's t test was used for statistical analysis and statistical significance is denoted as * (p value ≤ 0.05).