Effects of the p38 inhibitor (SB203580) and baicalein on cell invasion and MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 expression in U87MG cells.

<p>(A) Cells were pretreated with SB203580 (20 µM) for 30 min and then incubated in the presence or absence of baicalein (10 µM) for 24 h. Cellular invasiveness was measured using the Boyden chamber invasion assay. (B) The percent invasion rate was expressed as a percentage of control. (C, D) The protein levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were analyzed in treated U87MG cells by Western blotting. Values represent the means ± SD of three independent experiments performed in triplicate. *<i>p</i><0.05 and **<i>p</i><0.01 compared with the control group.