Figure 3.

Effects of irisin on the expression of osteoblast markers at mRNA level. mRNA expression levels of osteoblast marker genes (RANK-L, osteoprotegerin (OPG), osteocalcin (OCN), collagen I, RUNX-2, and bone sialoprotein (BSP)) were assayed (qPCR) after 3 and 8 h of stimulation with irisin. The graph shows that the treatment significantly enhanced the expression of the osteoblast marker OCN. Expression was normalized to the average of β-actin, β₂ microglobulin (B2M), and GAPDH levels for each reaction. Graphs represent data as box-and-whisker plots with median and interquartile ranges, from max to min, of four independent experiments performed in triplicate. * p < 0.05 compared to Ctr. Student’s t-test was used for single comparisons.