Parthenolide Relieves Pain and Promotes M2 Microglia/Macrophage Polarization in Rat Model of Neuropathy

Figure 5

Effects of LPS on the mRNA and protein level of pronociceptive (IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and iNOS) and antinociceptive (IL-10 and TIMP1) factors in the primary rat microglial cell cultures. Samples were analyzed 24 hours after stimulation of cells with LPS. Upregulation of mRNA for IL-1β (a), IL-18 (b), iNOS (c), IL-6 (d), IL-10 (e), and downregulation of mRNA for TIMP1 (f) were observed after LPS treatment. The protein level of IL-1β (g), IL-18 (h), and iNOS (i) were significantly upregulated and of TIMP1 (l) was downregulated after LPS stimulation. Protein level of IL-6 and IL-10 remained unchanged after LPS administration. The qRT-PCR and Western blot data are presented as the mean ± SEM and represent the normalized averages derived from analyses of 3–10 samples for each group. Statistical analysis was performed using test, , , and indicate significant differences compared to vehicle-treated cells. LPS: lipopolysaccharide. The immunoblots shown are representative of 3–5 individual samples.