Supplementary Material for: Inhibition of MMP-2-Mediated Mast Cell Invasion by NF-κB Inhibitor DHMEQ in Mast Cells

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Stimulation with antigen and IgE is known to activate NF-κB in mast cells. In the present research, we studied the role of NF-κB on cellular migration in mast cell-like RBL-2H3 cells and bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) using the NF-κB inhibitor (-)-DHMEQ.<b><i> Methods:</i></b> A Matrigel invasion chamber was used to evaluate cell migration. A PCR array was used to screen the expression of 84 key genes involved in cell migration. <b><i>Results:</i></b> (-)-DHMEQ inhibited antigen/IgE-induced NF-κB activation and expressions of its target genes such as IL-6 and TNF-α. (-)-DHMEQ was found to inhibit in vitro invasion toward the antigen without any toxicity. We then looked for NF-κB-dependent genes that would be important for mast cell invasion using the PCR array. (-)-DHMEQ was found to lower the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2. The MMP inhibitor GM6001 also inhibited cellular invasion toward the antigen. These effects of (-)-DHMEQ were obtained in both RBL-2H3 cells and BMMCs.<b><i> Conclusions:</i></b> These findings indicate that (-)-DHMEQ suppressed mast cell migration via the inhibition of NF-κB-regulated MMP-2 expression.