Figure 2.

PCA reduces ROS- and senescence-related gene expression changes in NP cells. NP cells were treated with H₂O₂ and different concentrations of PCA and then cultured for 72 h. Subsequently, ROS- and senescence-related gene expression was measured via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. (A) Cox-2, (B) iNOS, (C) p53, (D) p16, (E) aggrecan and (F) collagen-2. Values are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. ^**P<0.01 vs. H₂O₂ treatment group. NP, nucleus pulposus; PCA, p-coumaric acid; ROS, reactive oxygen species; Cox-2, cyclooxygenase 2; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase.