Figure 5

Gelatinolytic activities in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (A, D) and the supernatants of alveolar macrophages in culture (B, E). MMP-9 expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (C, F). The groups represent rats treated as follows: Saline, saline (IT); LPS, LPS (IT); LPS-SP600125, LPS (IT) and a pretreatment with SP600125(IO), Saline-SP600125, saline (IT) and a pretreatment with SP600125 (IO); LPS-PD98059, LPS (IT) and a pretreatment with PD98059 (IO), Saline-PD98059, saline (IT) and a pretreatment with PD98059 (IO). Animals were sacrificed 4 hours after LPS treatment. Alveolar macrophages (10⁶/m1 of RPMI medium) were incubated for 24 hours. BAL fluid and culture supernatants were analyzed by sensitive zymography, followed by scanning densitometry. 92 kD and 66 kD gelatinolytic bands correspond to MMP-9 and MMP-2, respectively. Densitometry of 92 kD bands is expressed in arbitrary densitometric units. Western blots of BAL fluid with anti-MMP-9 antibodywere employed to monitor MMP-9. Values are represented as means ± SEM of results from 5 rats in each group. * Significant differences between saline, p < 0.05, and + significant difference compared with LPS group, p < 0.05.