Fig. 1. Effects of BD on the proliferation rate and cell cycle of MC3T3-E1 cells. The MTT assay (a) and cell cycle assay (b, c) were performed to examine the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells after the addition of BD to the basic medium and subsequent incubation for 48 h. (a) BD increased the proliferation rate of cells, especially at 0.10 and 1.00 μmol/L. (b, c) BD decreased the ratio of cells in the G1 and G2/M phases and increased the ratio of cells in the S phase, especially at 1.00 μmol/L. Data are expressed as mean±SD (n=3). ^* P<0.05, ^** P<0.01, ^*** P<0.001, and ^**** P<0.0001 represent comparisons with the control group; ^## P<0.01 represents comparison between experimental groups. BD: benidipine; MTT: methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide.