Curcumin Inhibits Joint Contracture through PTEN Demethylation and Targeting PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway in Myofibroblasts from Human Joint Capsule

Figure 1

Curcumin inhibits the proliferation and migration of myofibroblasts. (a, b) Immunohistochemical and haematoxylin-eosin staining to demonstrate the morphological configuration of the myofibroblast. (c) Western blot analysis revealed that in the contracture group, the fibrosis marker α-SMA expression was higher compared with the normal group and that the α-SMA expression level was decreased following treatment with curcumin. (d) Curcumin inhibited the proliferation of myofibroblasts, as determined by the results of the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. (e) Transwell assay showed the myofibroblast migration ability in different patient groups (magnification, ×40). α-SMA, alpha smooth muscle cell actin. (f) Collagen assays revealed the collagen expression in the contracture group was elevated compared with the control group, while it was decreased in the curcumin group. relative to the control group. relative to the contracture group.

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