Nuclear Factor-kappa B inhibition in mouse aortic smooth muscle cells stimulated by cholesterol overload or tumor necrosis factor

To test whether cholesterol overload in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) drives NF-kappaB signaling and to map target genes controlled by NF-kappaB signaling in SMCs, we cultured primary aortic SMCs from wildtype mice in the presence of cyclodextrin-complexed cholesterol or the prototypical NF-kappaB activator tumor necrosis factor (TNF) with or without blocking canonical NF-kappaB signaling by knockdown of inhibitor of kappaB kinase beta (Ikbkb).