Fig. 2
MMP-9 knockout increases hepatic inflammatory response after LPS administration. (A, B) ELISA quantified protein levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in liver lysates following LPS injection (4.5 mg/kg) for 4 and 24 h in WT and MMP-9 KO mice. (C–E) Hepatic mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was measured by quantitative PCR. Rpl19 served as internal control. (F, G) Hepatic mRNA expression of LPS receptors was assessed by qPCR. Rpl19 served as internal control. (H, I) NF-κB p65 protein levels in liver tissue were analyzed by immunoblotting and normalized to GAPDH. All LPS treatments were performed for 24 h unless otherwise indicated. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 3–10 per group). Statistical comparisons were made using unpaired t-tests. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. WT + LPS; ns: not significant.
