Analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP) expression by using Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

(A, B) C-reactive protein expression in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) treated with L5 from 5 hypercholesterolemic patients (patients labeled as A–E). L5 increased endothelial CRP expression by up to 2.5-fold more than did L1. (C) L5 treatment (10–100 µg/mL) increased endothelial CRP expression in a dose-dependent manner. (D) ELISA analysis of CRP in the conditioned culture medium (CCM) of HAECs treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), L1, or L5. For all experiments, n = 3, and bars shown in graphs represent standard deviation. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001 vs. PBS or untreated control.