Figure 4.

Cholesterol-conjugated chemically modified siRNA alleviates the inflammation level and pathological damage in CIA mice

(A) Representative immunohistochemical images of SMO and GLI1 protein in hind paws of CIA mice show the effect of si-S1A3-Chol on Hedgehog signaling pathway activity. The relative IOD is presented as fold change versus the normal group (n = 6). Scale bars, 400 μm. (B) ELISA assay determined the serum level of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in CIA mice treated with si-Scr-Chol or si-S1A3-Chol (n = 6). (C) Representative H&E staining, Safranin O staining, and TRAP staining in CIA mice show pathological damage prevention of si-S1A3-Chol. Histopathologic scores of synovial inflammation, bone erosion, and cartilage damage were scored from 0 to 3, and the number of TRAP-stained positive osteoclasts was counted manually (n = 6). Scale bars, 400 μm. Data are presented as mean ± SD. ns, p > 0.05; ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01 versus between groups by one-way ANOVA with Dunnett’s test for multiple comparisons.