Figure 2.

High glucose increases the adipogenic transdifferentiation potential of tenocytes. (A) The mRNA expression levels of the adipocyte markers C/EBPβ and C/EBPα were measured after tenocytes were cultured in high-glucose (HG) or low-glucose (LG) conditions for 1 week. Data are presented as the mean ± SD (n = 6). Statistical significance is shown as ** p < 0.01 compared to the low-glucose control group; (B) Tendons from STZ-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) mice (duration > 1 year) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for PPARγ. Healthy: age-matched control mice without DM. Scale bar = 50 μm; (C) After pre-culturing in different glucose concentrations for 1 week, tenocytes were stimulated by adipogenic differentiation medium. Adipogenesis was examined using Oil Red O staining two and 3 weeks later. AD: adipogenic differentiation medium. Ctrl: culture medium. Scale bar = 50 μm.