Increased HIF-1α in Knee Osteoarthritis Aggravate Synovial Fibrosis via Fibroblast-Like Synoviocyte Pyroptosis

Figure 3

HIF-1α siRNA attenuates the LPS+ATP-induced cell pyroptosis in FLS. (a) The silencing effect of the HIF-1α siRNA and GSDMD siRNA was both confirmed by PCR. (b) mRNA expression of NLRP3 inflammasome, its components (caspase-1, ASC), and its downstream (GSDMD) were downregulated after the transfection of HIF-1α siRNA compared with the Vehicle group. (c) Typical protein bands for each group. (d) The same trend with gene level could also be observed in the relative protein level. vs. the Vehicle group; vs. the Normal group. (e) The HIF-1α siRNA group has shown a significant downregulation of IL-1β and IL-18 compared with the Vehicle group. vs. the Vehicle group; vs. the Normal group. (f) The cell apoptosis rate in the Vehicle group was significantly higher than that in the Normal group (), and the cell apoptosis rate in the HIF-1α siRNA group was significantly lower than that in the Vehicle group ().

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