Figure 6. Staphylococcus aureus prevents osteoblast mineralisation.
Osteoblasts (5×105 cells/ml) were preincubated with either control buffer or formaldehyde fixed S. aureus Newman (1×109 cells/ml) for a total period of 21 days. (A) Following a 21 day infection von kossa stain was added to the osteoblasts to determine phosphate deposition. Phosphate nodules are indicated by white arrows. (B) Following a 21 day infection alizarin red stain (2%) was added to the osteoblasts. Calcium nodules are indicated by black arrows. (C) Staining was quantified by leeching the cells of the dye and reading absorbance at 540 nm. Representative images from day 21 for both stains were obtained using 20x bright field microscopy.. *P = NS, **P<0.05, ***P<0.01, n = 3.