Fig. 1
E2 increased SREBP2 expression in HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The effects were attenuated in the presence of ICI, an ER antagonist. a The SREBP2 mRNA expression in HepG2 cells after 24 h treatment with E2. Note the dose dependency of the change in expression. b The SREBP2 protein stained red in HepG2 cells after 24 h treatment with E2 (10− 7 mol/l) or co-treatment with ICI (10− 5 mol/l). c Mean gray values of SREBP2 expression. The experiments were repeated three times and data are presented as means ± SEM. *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 compared with the corresponding control group (a: no E2-treated group; c: blank group). #p < 0.05 and ##p < 0.01 compared with the value in the E2-treated group. SREBP2: sterol regulatory element-binding protein; E2: estradiol; ER: estrogen receptor; DMSO: dimethylsulfoxide; ICI: ICI 182,780