Fig. 3
From: Excessive reactive oxygen species are therapeutic targets for intervertebral disc degeneration
Downstream signaling of ROS in AF cells. a, b Western blot analysis showed that mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including p38, ERK, and JNK, were maximally phosphorylated 10 minutes after treatment with H2O2 a and BSO b. c, d Real-time RT-PCR analysis. Treatment of AF cells with MAPK signaling inhibitors, including p38 inhibitor (SB), JNK inhibitor (SP), and ERK inhibitor (PD), significantly abolished H2O2-mediated c or BSO-mediated d induction of COX-2 mRNA expression. Data presented as mean ± SD of three independent experiments performed in triplicate (n = 3); *p <0.05. BSO buthionine sulfoximine, COX cyclooxygenase, ERK extracellular signal-regulated kinase, H 2 O 2 hydrogen peroxide, HPRT hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase, JNK c-Jun N-terminal kinase