Figure 7.

t-BHQ ameliorates intervertebral disc degeneration in vivo. After 8 weeks, degenerated discs were taken for X-ray and stained with H&E, Safranin O, and immunohistochemistry staining. (a) The mRNA expression of Nrf2 in nucleus pulposus tissue of punctured discs in different groups. (b) The mRNA expression of Sirt3 in nucleus pulposus tissue of punctured discs in different groups. (c, d) The disc height index (DHI) was determined in three groups at week 8. (e) Representative H&E and S-O staining of the punctured disc in different groups. (f) The histological grades in three groups. (g, h) The expression of cleaved caspase-3 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining in punctured discs in different groups. (i, j) The expression of LC3-II was evaluated by immunohistochemistry staining in punctured discs in different groups. All experiments were performed three times in duplicate, and data are reported as the mean ± standard deviation. ^∗p < 0.05, ^∗∗p < 0.01.