Curcumin Inhibits Acute Vascular Inflammation through the Activation of Heme Oxygenase-1

Figure 5

Curcumin and bilirubin inhibit TNF-α-induced inflammation in HAECs via the induction of HO-1 expression. (a) The VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 mRNA levels were quantified by real-time RT-PCR in HAECs preincubated with the indicated concentrations of curcumin for 16 hours in the absence or presence of ZnPP (final concentration 20 μmol/L) and then stimulated with TNF-α (1 ng/mL) for a further 6 hours. (b) The VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 mRNA levels in HAECs transfected with scrambled siRNA or Nrf2 siRNA for 48 hours, incubated with or without 100 μmol/L curcumin for 16 hours, and then stimulated with TNF-α (1 ng/mL) for a further 6 hours. (c) The VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 mRNA levels in HAECs preincubated with bilirubin, RuCO, or FeSO₄ at the indicated concentrations for 2 hours and then stimulated with TNF-α (1 ng/mL) for a further 6 hours. All data are expressed as the mean ± SEM of three independent experiments. compared with cells stimulated with TNF-α without curcumin or bilirubin.

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