ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of rosiglitazone on the expression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and coupling factor 6 (CF6) induced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cultured HUVEC of passage 3-5 were stimulated with TNF-alpha and then cultured in the presence of rosiglitazone. The expression of CF6 and NF-kappaB subunit p65 were evaluated by immunocytochemistical method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Pretreatment of HUVECs with rosiglitazone inhibited TNF-alpha-induced expression of CF6 in a dose-dependent manner. The activation of CF6 stimulated by TNF-alpha was suppressed by ROS in a dose-dependent manner.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TNF-alpha-induced enhancement of the gene expression and release of CF6 is mediated by activation of NF-kappaB signaling pathway. ROS can inhibit the activation of IKK, block NF-kappaB signaling pathway and inhibit the expression of CF6, which may be the mechanism underlying the action of TZDs on hypertension.</p>