Figure 12. Compared with the LPS model group at each period, the mRNA levels of Nfkbiz (the transcriptional counterpart sequence of IκBζ) and its downstream molecule IL-1α were significantly lower in the Tube group. The mRNA levels of Nrf2, NQO1, HO-1, and GCLM were significantly higher, while the JAK1, STAT6, and TET2 mRNA levels were significantly lower. *P < 0.05,**P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM, and each experiment was repeated three times.
3.8 Effect of Tube on the expression of I-kappa B Zeta (IκBζ) protein in RAW 264.7 cells
We measured the changes of ATF3 and IκBζ protein levels in LPS-treated RAW264.7 macrophages by western blot (Figure 13 ). Compared with the LPS model group, ATF3 protein levels were significantly higher, and IκBζ protein levels were significantly lower in the Tube group, regardless of whether LPS was added for one or more hours. These findings suggest that Tube increased the expression of ATF3 and inhibited the expression of IκBζ protein, consistent with the RT-PCR experiment described above.