Figure 4. Cordycepin reverses LPS-induced matrix degradation in NP cells.

NP cells were treated with or without 100 µM cordycepin and 10 µg/ml LPS for 5 days and then fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde and used to perform fluorescence staining. (A, B) Collagen-II (Col-II) immunofluorescent staining showed that cordycepin reduced the LPS-induced collagen-II decrease in NP cells. (C, D) Western blotting results showed that cordycepin significantly reversed LPS-induced collagen-II and aggrecan loss. These results indicated that cordycepin could protect NP cells from LPS-induced matrix degradation. *P < 0.05 compared to the LPS group; ##P < 0.01 compared to the control group.