Fig. 3

Ozone activated AMPK/Gas6/MerTK/SOCS3 signaling pathway to inhibit MMP9 activity and inflammatory response in RAW264.7 cells. Raw264.7 were primed with LPS (1 μg/ml, 6 h), and challenged with MSU suspension (200 μg/ml, 6 h) followed by treatment with CC (20 μM)/UNC2541(2.5 μM)/TP0903(100 nM). Ozone is given ten minutes after MSU treatment. A Western blot analysis and the expression of pAMPK, AMPK, SOCS3, MMP9 and β-actin. B Western blot analysis and the expression of pMerTK, Protein S, Gas6 and β-actin. C Western blot analysis showed that CC suppressed the expression of SOCS3, and Gas6 and Increase the expression of MMP9 in Raw264.7. D–F Expression of MMP9 and SOCS3 after UNC2541 or TP0903 treated in Raw264.7. G Phosphorylation of MerTK upon CC exposure in Raw264.7. H–I Expression of Gas6 and pMerTK after CC treated in the ankle joint. ^*p < 0.05, ^**p < 0.01 and ^***p < 0.001 vs. control group; ^#p < 0.05, ^##p < 0.01 and ^###p < 0.001 vs. MSU-treated group; ^&p < 0.05, ^&&p < 0.01 and ^&&&p < 0.001 vs. MSU + ozone group