Low Magnitude of Compression Enhances Biosynthesis of Mesenchymal Stem Cells towards Nucleus Pulposus Cells via the TRPV4-Dependent Pathway

Figure 3

ECM deposition under different magnitudes of compressive stress. Measurement of the biochemical compositions, including (a) GAG content and (b) HYP content under different magnitudes of compressive stress. (c–e) The gene expressions of (c) aggrecan, (d) type II collagen, and (e) Sox-9 of MSC seeded in the hydrogel treated with free swelling and compressive loading at magnitudes of 5%, 10%, and 20%. The expression levels, quantified using real-time PCR, are normalized to those of housekeeping gene, GADPH. (f) Western blotting analysis of ECM proteins, aggrecan, type II collagen, and Sox-9 produced by MSCs cultured in the hydrogels treated with free swelling and compressive loading at magnitudes of 5%, 10%, and 20%. (g–i) The histogram of quantitative results of Western blot analysis. Data were normalized to the data obtained from MSCs cultured in the hydrogel treated with free swelling and evaluated on a relative basis for comparison between different samples. Data were expressed as means ± SD (). and .

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

(h)

(i)