Expression of Concern
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This article is currently under investigation. We strongly recommend that this article is not cited until the investigation is completed.
Research Paper Volume 13, Issue 17 pp 21251—21267
Betulinic acid induces autophagy-dependent apoptosis via Bmi-1/ROS/AMPK-mTOR-ULK1 axis in human bladder cancer cells
Figure 3. BA induces autophagy in human bladder cancer cells. (A) Confocal fluorescence microscopy of EJ and T24 cells transfected with mCherry-GFP-LC3B lentivirus and exposed to 25 μM BA for 24 h. (B) Transmission electron microscopy (magnification: 5000× and 20,000×) images of EJ and T24 cells exposed to 25 μM BA for 24 h. Arrows indicate autophagic vesicles. (C) Luminescent determination of ADP/ATP ratio in EJ and T24 cells exposed to DMSO (control) or BA for 24 h. (D, E) Western blot analysis of changes in AMPK-mTOR-ULK1 phosphorylation status and p62 and LC3B-II expression upon treatment with the specified BA doses. *p<0.05, **p<0.01.