Figure 1.

Treatment with ligustilide (LIG) protects chondrocytes from sodium nitroprusside (SNP)‐induced apoptosis. A, Chemical structure of LIG. B, Chondrocytes were treated with LIG in a dose‐dependent manner. After 12 and 24 h of culture, cell viability was evaluated using the Cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assay. C, D, Chondrocytes treated with SNP (0.75 mmol/L) were untreated or co‐treated with or without LIG (25 and 50 μmol/L) and the JNK inhibitor SP600125 (10 μmol/L) or the p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase inhibitor SB203580 (10 μmol/L) for 24 h. The chondrocyte apoptotic rate was assessed through flow cytometry with Annexin V‐fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) dual staining. Each column represented mean ± SEM in the CCK‐8 assay (n = 6) and in flow cytometry (n = 3). ***P < 0.01 vs the control group. ^## P < 0.01 and ^### P < 0.001 vs the SNP group; ^&& P < 0.01 and ^&&& P < 0.001 vs the SNP + LIG (50 μmol/L) group