Research Article

The Combination of N-Acetyl Cysteine, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, and Bromelain Shows High Anti-Inflammatory Properties in Novel In Vivo and In Vitro Models of Endometriosis

Figure 5

Evaluation of the proapoptotic effect of NAC/LA/Br on ECs. (a), (b) Morphologic appearance of EECs untreated (a) or incubated with NAC 20 μg/mL, AL 18 μg/mL, and Br 4 μg/mL in association (MIX) (b). (c), (d) Both types of cells were grown to 80% of confluence in 96-well plates and incubated with NAC 20 μg/mL, AL 18 μg/mL, and Br 4 μg/mL, alone or in association (MIX), for 72 h 37°C. The cells were then incubated with 5 μM of CellEvent Caspase-3/7 Green Detection Reagent (Life Technologies), a fluorogenic substrate for activated caspases 3 and 7. The fluorescence data were normalized for the total protein present in each well. Data are expressed as mean ± SE of results from three experiments each performed in triplicate. * with respect to the untreated (Mann-Whitney test).
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