Fig. 2

Sulforaphane and DMF showed strong anti-inflammatory effects, whereas prednisolone showed slight effects in HRMCs. (a, b) Effect of these compounds on inflammatory cytokine production in TNF-α-stimulated HRMCs. Cells were incubated with the nontoxic doses of DMF (open circles), sulforaphane (gray circles), or prednisolone (black circles) prior to TNF-α stimulation. The concentrations of MCP-1 (a) and IL-6 (b) in the supernatant were determined by ELISA. Results are shown as the % of TNF-α-stimulated (control) groups (mean ± SD of three independent experiments). (c) Effect of these compounds on NF-kB activation in TNF-α-stimulated HRMCs. Results are shown as the % of TNF-α-stimulated (control) groups (mean ± SD of three independent experiments). **p < 0.01 by Dunnett’s parametric test performed versus control groups. (d, e) mRNA levels of GRα and GRβ expression by these compounds exposure under TNF-α stimulation. GRα (d) and GRβ (e) levels were determined using quantitative RT-PCR 18 hours after the stimulation. Data presented are relative mRNA level normalized to GAPDH. Results are shown as mean ± SD of three independent experiments. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 by Dunnett’s parametric test performed versus unstimulated group (–). DMF dimethyl fumarate, GR glucocorticoid receptor, IL-6 interleukin-6, MCP-1 monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, NF nuclear factor, TNF-α tumor necrosis factor alpha