Cell viability, mRNA and protein levels of self-renewal and CSC marker genes, and cell growth rate

<p>. (A) Cell viability after sorting. No significant difference in cell viability was detected between side population (SP) and non-SP (NSP) cells in bronchial epithelial cell growth medium (BEGM) and serum-free medium (SFM). Relative (B) mRNA and (C) protein levels of self-renewal and CSC marker genes in SP and NSP cells. (D) Cell growth rate of SP and NSP cells in both BEGM and SFM determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) (***P<0.01, **P<0.05, *P>0.05).