Fig. 2. Effects of benzodiazepine antagonists on proopiomelanocortin gene expression. In the presence or absence of 10 μm flumazenil or 10 μm PK11195, cells were treated with 10 μm diazepam or 100 μm midazolam, and stimulated with 1 μm corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) or 10 μm forskolin. The ratios of luciferase activity to that of nonstimulated control are expressed as means ± SD from four experiments. *P < 0.05 versus cells stimulated with CRH without benzodiazepines. #P < 0.05 versus cells stimulated with forskolin without benzodiazepines. §P < 0.05 versus nonstimulated controls.