Fig. 2

IL-1β enhanced Ca²⁺ influx mediated by TRPA1 in rat chondrocytes. Rat chondrocytes were pre-incubated with the TRPA1 antagonist (HC-030031, 100 μM) or the vehicle for 30 min and then cultured with IL-1β (0, 5, 10 ng/ml) for 12 and 24 h, respectively. The cells were loaded with Fluo-3-AM and the TRPA1-mediated Ca²⁺ influx was measured. a Ca²⁺ fluorescence relative intensity in different chondrocyte treatment groups (all photomicrographs are shown at × 200 magnification). b Bar graph showing the level of relative fluorescent intensity in each group. Relative fluorescence units refer to the ratio of mean fluorescence intensity to the background. The experiment was repeated independently three times taking duplicate measurements for each experiment. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. ^*p < 0.05, ^**p < 0.01. IL interleukin, TRPA1 transient receptor potential ankyrin 1