Fig. 3.

Bergenin promoted cartilage matrix synthesis and inhibited IL-1β-induced extracellular matrix degradation in ATDC5 cells. (A) RT-qPCR was used to evaluate the expression levels of genes related to extracellular matrix synthesis and catabolism, including COL2A1, SOX9, ADAMTS5, MMP13. (B) Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of extracellular matrix anabolic- and catabolic-related proteins (COL2A1, SOX9, ADAMTS5, MMP13) in ATDC5 cells. (C) Statistical analysis of protein gray value in (B). (D) MMP13 and COL2A1 were assessed by immunofluorescence staining combined with DAPI staining. Scale bar = 200 µm. The values are mean ± SD for 3 separate experiments. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 and ****P < 0.0001.