Figure 1
From: Reaction-Diffusion-Delay Model for EPO/TNF-α Interaction in articular cartilage lesion abatement
Effects of EPO on chondrocyte responses to alarmins and IL-1 beta. Immunoblot analyses are shown for phospho- and total nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kB), a pro-inflammatory transcription factor (A), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), a catabolic signaling factor (B), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) (C), and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain with thrombospondin repeats (ADAMTS-5) (D), which cause cartilage matrix degeneration. Primary cultures of bovine chondro-cytes (1 × 106 cells/well) were treated with 10 IU/ml EPO for 24 hours, then challenged for an additional 24 hours with the indicated concentrations of purified 29 kDa fibronectin fragment, a known extracellular matrix DAMP, or IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, or cell lysates containing multiple cellular DAMPS. EPO treatment suppressed catabolic responses induced by all three treatments.