Research Paper Volume 11, Issue 19 pp 8120—8138
The interaction between STAT3 and nAChRα1 interferes with nicotine-induced atherosclerosis via Akt/mTOR signaling cascade
Figure 2. STAT3 blockade attenuates the nicotine-induced proliferation and migration of MOVAS cells through the Akt/mTOR/MMP2 pathway. (A) The effect of AG490 on the nicotine-induced activation of STAT3, Akt, mTOR and MMP2 expression in MOVAS cells. (B) The effect of rapamycin on the nicotine-induced upregulation of MMP2 in MOVAS cells. (C) The regulation of nicotine-induced proliferation by STAT3 and mTOR inhibition. Magnification, 200×; bars, 100 μm. (D) The regulation of nicotine-induced migration by STAT3 and mTOR inhibition. Magnification, 100×; bars, 250 μm. Ni, nicotine. The data were presented as the mean ± SD. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 vs. the control group. #p < 0.05, ##p < 0.01 vs. the nicotine group. Each experiment was performed three times.