In Vitro Study of Mutagenesis Induced by Crocidolite-Exposed Alveolar Macrophages NR8383 in Cocultured Big Blue Rat2 Embryonic Fibroblasts

Figure 3

Effect of treatment with crocidolite and zymosan for 3 hours (15, 30, and 60 $\mu$g/cm²) or with crocidolite for 24 hours (3 and 15 $\mu$g/cm²) on the expression of various genes in NR8383-Big Blue separated cocultures. Levels of iNOS, IL1$\beta$, and TNF$\alpha$ mRNA in NR8383 and levels of iNOS, IL-6, and SOD-2 mRNA in Big Blue were assessed by qPCR, using $\beta$-actin as an endogenous external standard. Data are expressed as “fold change” of the control value (see materials and methods). Results represent the mean $\pm$ SD of at least 3 experiments. *Statistically significant ($P<.05$) increase in gene expression compared to the control (unexposed) cocultures.

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