Acupuncture Delays Cartilage Degeneration through Upregulating SIRT1 Expression in Rats with Osteoarthritis

Figure 2

Acupuncture reversed OA-associated regulation of the expressions of SIRT1, MMP-9, ADAMTS-5, and the NF-κB signaling pathway in rat articular cartilages. (a/b/c/d): The expressions of SIRT1, MMP-9, ADAMTS5, p-p65/p65, and p-IκBα/IκBα in the articular cartilage of OA rats treated with or without acupuncture were analyzed by western blot, with GAPHD serving as a reference gene. ^ ^  < 0.01, or ^ ^ ^  < 0.001; vs. Sham; ^ vs. Model (OA: osteoarthritis; MMP-9: matrix metallopeptidase-9; SIRT1: NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1; ADAMTS5: a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5).

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