Fig. 3

Inhibitory effect of lycopene on NF-κB activation and ROS production in cerulein-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells. Acinar cells were stimulated with cerulein (10⁻⁸ M) for the indicated time periods (a). The cells were treated with lycopene (2 or 5 μmol/l) for 2 h prior to stimulation with cerulein (10⁻⁸ M) for 30 min for determination of NF-κB activation by EMSA (b) or 15 min for measurement of intracellular levels of ROS (c). DCF fluorescence for ROS was detected on a laser scanning confocal microscope. The amount of ROS trapped in the cells was expressed as the increase relative to that of cells without cerulein stimulation, which was considered to be 1 (None). The values are expressed as means ± S.E. of four different experiments. *P < 0.05 versus none control (without lycopene and without cerulein stimulation). +P < 0.05 versus cerulein control (without lycopene and with cerulein stimulation)