Figure 6
From: Silver and Gold Nanoparticles Alter Cathepsin Activity In vitro
Quantitative assessment of cathepsin activity following Au-NP exposure. A fluorescent substrate was processed by cathepsin B (a) or cathepsin L (b) in Vero cells or purified cathepsin B (c) or L (d) treated with Au-NPs or left untreated. The fluorescence released following proteolytic cleavage of the substrate was determined using a fluorescent plate reader. The amount of cathepsin activity in the treatment groups is expressed as percent control and plotted as the mean +/- SEM. (*P < 0.05 significantly reduced, #P < 0.05 significantly increased; n = 6).