Fig 1: Bar graphs of relative mRNA levels (fold change) of PLEK and mPGES-1 by qPCR. (A) PLEK mRNA levels in HGFs (0.3x106 cells/ml) stimulated with IL-1β (500 pg/ml) for 24 h alone or in combination with SP (20 μM) or PD (2 μM). (B) PLEK mRNA levels in gingival fibroblasts stimulated with P. gingivalis LPS (5μg/ml) alone or in combination with SP or PD. (C) PLEK mRNA levels in HGFs stimulated with IL-1β or LPS alone or in combination with BIS. (D) Gingival fibroblast cells were stimulated with IL-1β and/or LPS alone or in combination with VX-745 (1.0 µM) for 24 h, followed by measurement of relative mRNA levels (fold change) of PLEK. (E) mPGES-1 mRNA level after IL-1β and LPS treatment alone or in combination with VX-745. The relative mRNA levels were normalized to the levels of the housekeeping gene GAPDH. Data are presented as mean values ± SD from at least three independent experiments. Significance was calculated with one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test where p-values were set as *p ≤ 0.05 and **p ≤ 0.01. SP, SP600125 (inhibitor of c-Jun N-terminal kinase JNK); PD, PD 153035 hydrochloride (inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase EGFR); BIS, Bisindolylmaleimide I, Hydrochloride (Protein kinase C inhibitor); VX-745 , Neflamapimod (selective inhibitor p38α MAPK inhibitor).