Research Article
Propionibacterium acnes Induces Intervertebral Disc Degeneration by Promoting iNOS/NO and COX-2/PGE2 Activation via the ROS-Dependent NF-κB Pathway
Figure 4
P. acnes induced iNOS/NO and COX-2/PGE2 production via increased ROS production in NPCs. (a) Immunofluorescence analysis of ROS in NPCs in response to P. acnes infection at a MOI = 100 : 1 for different time periods. (b) The ROS fluorescence intensity was tested by flow cytometric analysis. The different incubation time groups compared with the negative control group. (c–g) The flow cytometric analysis of ROS, Western blot of iNOS and COX-2, and the production of NO and PGE2 in NPCs infected with P. acnes for 24 hours, with or without NAC (10 mM) preincubation. The infection + NAC group compared with the infection group. ; values were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Data are presented as the mean ± SD from three independent experiments.
| (a) |
| (b) |
| (c) |
| (d) |
| (e) |
| (f) |
| (g) |