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. 2019 Aug 23;8(9):1289. doi: 10.3390/jcm8091289

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Lipopolysaccharide and lipoteichoic acid exert distinct effects on the bone mineral density, bone morphology, cathepsin K expression, and serum osteocalcin concentrations in mice. (A) Mice were subjected to an intrafemoral injection of LPS, LTA, or PBS (vehicle). The results of micro-CT revealed that LPS, but not LTA, decreased the number of bone trabeculae. (B) Quantitative results of micro-CT analysis in mice treated with PBS (n = 7), LPS (n = 5), or LTA (n = 5). LPS, but not LTA, was found to reduce morphometric bone indices. (C) Hematoxylin/eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining revealed a dense bone morphology in PBS-treated mice, whereas LPS injection resulted in bone loosening (black arrow)—a finding which was not observed in LTA-treated mice. (D) Immunofluorescence was used to detect cathepsin K (an osteoclast marker) and osterix (an osteoblast marker). LPS, but not LTA, increased the cathepsin K fluorescence intensity, whereas osterix expression was unaffected by either treatment. Quantitative expression of cathepsin K (E) and osterix (F) in mice treated with PBS, LPS, and LTA. (G) Body weight was measured daily in mice treated with PBS, LPS, and LTA and all results were normalized to the initial weight of each mouse. (H) Serum osteocalcin levels were measured by ELISA at indicated time points after injection. Data are presented as means ± standard errors of the mean. Analyses were conducted with two-way ANOVA, followed by Bonferroni’s post-hoc test. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. Abbreviations: d, day; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; LTA, lipoteichoic acid; BS, bone surface; BV, bone volume; TV, tissue volume; BMD, bone mineral density; Tb.N, trabecular number; Tb.Th, trabecular thickness; Tb.Sp, trabecular spacing; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline.