FIGURE 1.

Adipocyte differentiation induced using nonspecific siRNA control in fetal human femur-derived mesenchymal stem cells (fetal MSCs) under adipogenic (A–G) or osteogenic (H–N) conditions. Cell controls: Cells were grown in adipogenic (A,D) or osteogenic (H,K) conditions. Mock transfection controls: Cells were transfected using Lipofectamine 2000 without siRNA followed by adipogenic (B,E) or osteogenic induction (I,L). NS-siRNA 1: Cells were transfected with the nonspecific siRNA control 1 followed by adipogenic (C,F) or osteogenic induction (J,M). Morphology (A–C,H–J) and Oil Red O staining (D–F,K–M) images were taken from cells following 9 d of adipogenic or osteogenic inductions. Images C, F, J, and M were taken from cells transfected with the nonspecific siRNA at 16 nM. Scale bars = 50 μm. (G,N) Quantification of adipocytes. Adipocytes were identified by accumulation of lipid droplets and staining for lipid with Oil Red O under phase microscopy (10× magnification) in cells following 7 d of adipogenic (G) or osteogenic (N) inductions. Adipocytes were counted from nine randomly selected fields in three wells (three fields a well) for each of treatment group, and data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). The data were taken from a representative study of three experiments using different preparations of fetal MSCs.