Fig. 7

NK-4-treated THP-1 macrophages upregulate IL-10 production after Apo-J phagocytosis via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. NK-4 (5 μM)-treated THP-1 macrophages were pretreated with wortmannin before co-culture with Apo-J cells for 1 h at a 1:1 ratio. Mixed cells were then stimulated with 1 μg/ml LPS for 2 days. Levels of IL-10 (a) and TNF-α (b) were measured in the culture supernatants by ELISA. Graphs show the mean ± SEM of triplicate cultures and are representative of two independent experiments with similar results. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 compared with cells stimulated with NK-4 and LPS in the absence of Apo-J