Figure 3
Apremilast suppressed the production of extra matrix molecules via the non-Smad pathway. (a) The expression of type I collagen (n = 4) and CCN2 (n = 5) in SSc dermal fibroblasts. SSc dermal fibroblasts were incubated with 10 μM apremilast for 72 h, and the cell lysate was collected for assessment. (b) The expression of pAkt/total Akt (n = 3), pERK1/2/total ERK1/2 (n = 3), and pSmad3/totalSmad3 (n = 4) in dermal fibroblasts. (c) SSc dermal fibroblasts were incubated with 10 μM apremilast for 30 min, and the cell lysate was collected for assessment. To assess pSmad3 and total Smad3, dermal fibroblasts from HC (n = 4) were incubated in the presence or absence of 10 ng/ml TGF-β1. The data were expressed as the mean ± SD per group. *p < 0.05. n.s. not significant. Results were representative of at least two independent experiments. CCN2 cellular communication network factor 2. See Fig. 1 for other abbreviations.
