Research Article

HMGB1 Acts in Synergy with Lipopolysaccharide in Activating Rheumatoid Synovial Fibroblasts via p38 MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Pathways

Figure 4

Synergistic effects of HMGB1-LPS were inhibited by blockers of TLR4 and RAGE. Cultured SF were pretreated with anti-TLR2 (10 μg/mL), anti-TLR4 (10 μg/mL), or RAGE-Fc (10 μg/mL) for 30 min and then incubated with 10 ng/mL of LPS and/or 100 ng/mL of HMGB1 for 3 h (a) or 48 h (b). (a) mRNA expression levels of IL-6, MMP3, and MMP-13 were analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. (b) The concentrations of IL-6, MMP-3, and MMP-13 proteins in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA. Data are expressed as mean ± SD ( ). ** compared with SF stimulated with HMGB1 plus LPS.
596716.fig.004a
(a)
596716.fig.004b
(b)