Figure 8
sPLA 2 -IIA exhibits pro-inflammatory actions by stimulating TNFα and cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression. BV-2 microglial cells were incubated with 1 μg/ml of sPLA2-IIA or 100 UI/ml IFNγ at 37°C. (A) After 4 and 8 h of stimulation, COX-2 expression was identified in the cell lysated by western blot. Membranes were also stained with Ponceau S as a loading control. (B) After 24 h, the presence of TNFα in the cell culture medium was quantified by commercial ELISA. In some experiments, COX-2 expression (C) and TNFα secretion (D) was evaluated from cells pretreated with the indicated inhibitors. Results shown are representative of three independent experiments. (*P < 0.001 vs. control cells, **P < 0.001 vs. sPLA2-IIA-treated cells).