Skip to main content
. 2021 Oct 13;12:754038. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.754038

FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 9

Betulin inhibits the progression of DMM-induced OA in mice. The mice were randomly divided into three groups: the Sham group, DMM group, and DMM + Betulin group. The sham operation was performed in the Sham group, and the OA model was established in the DMM and DMM + Betulin groups. Eight weeks after operation, (A) X-ray imaging of the knee joints of the mice in the different experimental groups were performed, and betulin processing alleviated the stenosis of the joint space. (B–C) The knee joints of the mice in the different experimental groups were stained with SO staining and HE staining (scale: 50 μm), and the histological changes of OA were evaluated by the score of the OARSI. (E) Immunohistochemical staining of p-AKT, Nrf2, IL-6, and TNF-α expression in the cartilage specimens (scale: 50 μm). (D–G) The percentage of p-AKT, Nrf2, IL-6, and TNF-α positive cells in each section was quantitatively analyzed by Image-Pro Plus software. The data in the figure show that the average value is ±SD, **p < 0.01 compared with the control group, $$ p < 0.01 compared with the DMM group, n = 6.