Figure 1

Stimulation of hepatocytes with LPS elevates PCT expression. (a) HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of LPS (1, 2, 5, 10 μg/mL) for the indicated time. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect the amount of PCT mRNA. The relative expression of PCT was normalized to the β-actin content. The mean value at 0 hr was used as a standard, and the fold changes were calculated with the ΔΔCt method. Data are represented as the mean ± SD of three experimental replicates. (b) L-02 and Huh-7 cells were treated with LPS (1, 5 μg/mL) or DMSO solvent as a control for 6 hrs, and the amount of PCT mRNA was assessed by qPCR. The mean value after treatment with DMSO was used as a standard, and the fold changes were calculated with the ΔΔCt method. Data are represented as the mean ± SD of three experimental replicates. (c) HepG2 and L-02 cells were treated with LPS (5 μg/mL) or DMSO solvent as a control for 4 or 6 hr, and PCT protein secretion in the culture medium was measured. Data are represented as the mean ± SD of three experimental replicates. ^**p < 0.01.