Fig. 4. Expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and proinflammatory cytokines in the ipsilateral dorsal horn of the L5 spinal cord after spinal nerve ligation (SNL) on the 21st day (A). The expression levels of p38 MAPK, phosphorylated JNK-I/II, and p65 NF-κB were increased after SNL and markedly decreased by treatment with Sec-O-glucosylhamaudol (SOG). The production of proinflammatory cytokines was increased after SNL. SOG markedly decreased the expression levels of IL-1 and TNF-α, but there was no significant decrease in the levels of IL-6. Autophagic activation in the ipsilateral dorsal horn of the L5 spinal cord on the 21st day after SNL is shown (B). Upregulation of autophagy by SNL was confirmed by the increased expression levels of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-I/II and Beclin 1 with a concomitant decrease in p62, and autophagy processes were downregulated after SOG treatment. Values were normalized to β-actin levels. The error bars indicate mean ± standard deviation. IL-1: interleukin-1, IL-6: interleukin-6, TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-alpha, Group S: sham-operated, Group D: control group treated with 70% dimethylsulfoxide after the 7th day following SNL, Group SOG96: administered SOG at 96 μg/day for 2 weeks using an osmotic pump after the 7th day following SNL, Group SOG192: administered SOG at 192 μg/day for 2 weeks using an osmotic pump after the 7th day following SNL. aP < 0.05 vs. Group S. bP < 0.01 vs. Group S. cP < 0.05 vs. Group D. dP < 0.01 vs. Group D.
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