Research Paper Volume 16, Issue 2 pp 1145—1160
Sesamin-mediated high expression of BECN2 ameliorates cartilage endplate degeneration by reducing autophagy and inflammation
Figure 6. Sesamin ameliorated degeneration of cartilage endplate in puncture-induced rat model. (A) Representative images of the degenerative disc at 4 weeks post surgery by Safranin O-fast green staining (4X, scale bar: 200μm, 20X, scale bar: 5μm). (B) The protein level of ADAMTS5, Collagen II and MMP13 was evaluated by western blot. (C) The protein expression of ADAMTS5, Collagen II and MMP13 were determined using ImageJ software, GAPDH was used as the internal control, respectively (n=3). (D) ADAMTS5, Collagen II and MMP13 staining were detected (scale bar: 20 μm). (E–G) The positive rate was calculated by ImageJ software. All data represent mean ± SD. Three independent samples were used for statistics in all in vivo experiments. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, and *** p < 0.001.