Fig. 6

Suppressing cell proliferation by artesunate through PPAR-γ/TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signalling pathway. HBSM cells were transfected with siRNA-PPAR-γ in the presence or absence of CSE/artesunate. a The interference efficiency was determined by Western blot. b The level of TGF-β1 in supernatant of HBSM cells was determined using ELISA test. c The expressions of α-SMA, cyclin D1 and GAPDH were determined using Western blot. d The cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay and the cell proliferation was measured by BrdU incorporation assay. e The expressions of p-Smad2/3, Smad2/3 and GAPDH were determined using Western blot. Data were expressed as mean ± SEM, n = 3. ^##P < 0.01 compared to si-NC group using unpaired t-test; **P < 0.01 compared to si-NC + CSE + Arts group. Arts Artesunate