Fig. 3.

Effect of miR-448 on IL-1β-induced MMP-13 in chondrocytes. Chondrocytes were treated with IL-1β (5 ng/ml) for 24 h after transfection with miR-448 mimic or inhibitor. a, c The expression level of secreted MMP-13 protein was determined using ELISA. b, d The mRNA level of MMP-13 was determined using quantitative real-time PCR. The data shown are means ± SEM, n = 4. ***p < 0.001 vs. control; ^#p < 0.05, ^##p < 0.01 vs. vehicle + IL-1β