Figure 2

LPS-induced IL-6 mRNA induction is inhibited by DMBA and TCDD. BMS2 cells were pre-treated with vehicle (0.01% ethanol), 1 μM DMBA, or 1 nM TCDD for one hour prior to challenge with 1 μg/ml LPS. Eight hours later, cells were harvested, RNA was extracted, and cytokine-specific mRNAs were assayed by RPA. (A) Representative data from two experiments (seven total) are presented. (B) Optical densities of bands corresponding to each cytokine mRNA were normalized to L-32 band densities and then expressed relative to the maximal response seen with LPS-plus-vehicle-treated cultures. Data represent the means ± SE from 4–5 independent experiments. One-sample t-tests were conducted to compare relative expressions to the theoretical μ = 1 (maximum response in LPS-plus-vehicle-treated cultures). * Significantly different from cultures treated with LPS and vehicle, p < 0.05; ** Significantly different from cultures treated with LPS and vehicle p < 0.0001.