Apelin-13 Is an Early Promoter of Cytoskeleton and Tight Junction in Diabetic Macular Edema via PI-3K/Akt and MAPK/Erk Signaling Pathways

Figure 2

Apelin induces cell proliferation, migration, and increased expression of cytoskeleton and tight junction proteins in HRMECs. According to the MTS (a) and transwell assay (b-c, 200x magnification) results, HRMECs proliferation and migration capability were increased in a dose-dependent manner, significantly higher in the apelin group, compared with the control one, and the optimum concentration was 100 ng/ml. (d) IF staining showed that the phosphorylation of VE-Cadherin was upregulated after being treated with apelin in HRMECs. Scale bar = 50 μm for (d). (e–g) The western blot results showed that the phosphorylation of cytoskeleton and tight junction were also upregulated in a dose-dependent way after being stimulated with apelin. Protein intensity was quantified by Image J software and expressed as fold of change relative to control (mean ± SD, ). , , versus control one, Student’s -test.

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