Figure 6

Chronic LPS infusion increased gene and protein expression of several inflammatory markers and these increases were reduced by treatment with either dantrolene or nimodipine. Gene expression of IL-1β (A), TLR4 (B), iNOS (C), TLR2 (D), and TGFβ (E) was significantly increased in LPS + vehicle rats compared to aCSF + vehicle rats. In LPS rats, treatment with nimodipine significantly reduced expression of TLR4 mRNA (B), TGFβ mRNA (E), IL-1α protein (G), and IL-1β protein (H) and led to a trend in reduction of the IL-1β gene ((A), P = 0.053) and iNOS gene ((C), P = 0.085). In LPS rats, treatment with dantrolene significantly reduced the expression of TLR4 gene (B), iNOS gene (C), TGFβ gene (E), IL-1α protein (G), and IL-1β protein (H). There was no significant change in TNFα gene expression (F). Data expressed as mean ± SEM. *Indicates a significant difference from treatment-matched aCSF controls, ^†Indicates a significant difference from LPS + vehicle rats, ^¥Indicates significant difference from aCSF + dantrolene rats. Significance determined by P < 0.05. LPS lipopolysaccharide, aCSF artificial cerebrospinal fluid, TLR4 Toll-like receptor 4, TLR2 Toll-like receptor 2, iNOS inducible nitric oxide synthase, TGFβ transforming growth factor β, TNFα tumor necrosis factor alpha.