Figure 4. Osteogenic factors response profile of primary human osteoblasts from control, IS and LiCl treated controls under mechanical stimulation.

We used RT-qPCR to examine the effect of oscillatory fluid flow on gene expression after 4, 8, and 16 hours of stimulation. Gene expression in every sample has been normalized to two endogenous controls (GAPDH and HPRT). The 0 h of every sample has been defined as its calibrator. The graphs represent the fold changes at each time point, compared to the calibrator. Three groups were compared using Anova and followed by post-hoc Tukey test to analyze the significant results. 10 mM LiCl treatment for 24 h significantly suppresses the expression of tested osteogenic factors under mechanical stimulation compared to non treated controls (p < 0.0001). The response pattern of LiCl-Control group follows what is observed in IS but is dramatically exaggerated. It is of note that response is not completely lost Statistical analysis was performed with Anova, followed by Tukey test using JMP-12.