LPS-induced inflammation cell model

SIN was freshly prepared, dissolved to 5 mg/mL in a mixed solvent of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and DMSO (v/v = 9:1), and diluted to target concentration with DMEM before use. LPS (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) was dissolved in PBS to make a stock solution (5 mg/mL) by sonication for 2 min, after which aliquots were obtained and stored at −80°C until use. RAW264.7 cells were seeded and incubated at 37°C overnight. For the inflammatory cytokine array, qRT-PCR analysis and ELISA assessments, cells were pre-treated with either 50 or 100 μg/mL SIN in serum-free medium for 2 h and then persistently incubated for another 24 h with or without subsequent exposure to 1 μg/mL LPS.