Fig. 3

Effect of TNFα on autophagy in PBMCs from patients with RA. a Western blot analysis of LC3-II levels in PBMCs treated with TNFα at concentration of 5 and 10 ng/mL for 24 h. As a control condition, cells were cultured in serum deprivation condition (1% FBS). Blots shown are representative of five independent experiments performed in PBMCs from different patients with RA naïve to anti-TNF therapy. Densitometry analysis of LC3-II levels relative to β-actin is also shown. **P < 0.01, *P < 0.05. b Western blot and densitometry analysis of LC3-II levels in lysates from PBMCs treated with TNF-α and, when indicated, with E64d and PepA (added 2 h before the end of the culture). The figure was chosen as a representative of those obtained from five independent experiments on cells from different RA patients never treated with anti-TNF drugs. **P < 0.01