Research Paper Volume 13, Issue 8 pp 11363—11380
Melatonin attenuates smoking-induced atherosclerosis by activating the Nrf2 pathway via NLRP3 inflammasomes in endothelial cells
Figure 2. NLRP3 inflammasome pathway is involved in CSE-induced pyroptosis in HAECs. (A–H) The protein levels of ASC, Pro-Caspase-1, Caspase-1, Pro-IL-1β, IL-1β, Pro-IL-18 and IL-18 were upregulated in HAECs after treatment with CSE, as indicated by western blot results. (I, J) The protein levels of NLRP3 was increased in HAECs after treatment with CSE, as indicated by western blot results. β-Actin was used as an internal control. (K–M) The mRNA level of NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18 was increased in HAECs after treatment with CSE. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. The data are represented as mean ± SD (n = 3).