Fig. 3.

Osteoblast-related gene and protein expressions of MSCs cultured on the hydrogel surfaces on day 14. (a) RT-PCR analysis of osteogenic-related markers such as osteopontin (OPN), Osteocalcin (OCN), RunX2, and COL-1. (b) immunofluorescent images of osteogenic-associated proteins RunX2 and OPN in different groups. RunX2 and OPN are marked by red fluorescence, and the cell nuclei were stained blue by the Hoechst. (c) Quantitative analysis of RunX-2 and OPN fluorescence intensity. (d) Protein expression of RunX2 in BMSCs and GAPDH was used as a reference. [50]. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)