β-Carotene Attenuates Apoptosis and Autophagy via PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Necrotizing Enterocolitis Model Cells IEC-6

Figure 2

β-Carotene inhibits LPS-induced apoptosis and autophagy in IEC-6 cells. Cells were treated with LPS (100 μM) for 3 h prior to exposure to β-carotene (10, 20, and 30 μM) for 24 h. (a) Cell viability measured by the CCK-8 assay. vs. the control group. ^## vs. the LPS group. (b), (c) Apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry. vs. the LPS group. ^## vs. the LPS + 20 μM βC group. (d)–(g) The expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3, LC3II/I, and p62 detected by Western blot. , vs. the LPS group. ^#, ^## vs. the LPS group. (h) Representative images of intracellular GFP-LC3 puncta in IEC-6 cells under different conditions. The images were made at × 100 magnification. Each experiment is carried out in triplicate.

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