Objective: To investigate whether macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP-2) induces the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in THP-1 cells and its possible mechanism. Methods: Human monocyte cells THP-1 were cultured in vitro and then were incubated with various concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1. 0 or 5.0 ng/ml) of MALP-2 for 16 h, or were stimulated by 5. 0 ng/ml MALP-2 for different length of time (0 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, 16 h or 24 h). The expression of HO-1 at mRNA and protein levels were detected by real-time PCR analysis and Western blot ...