Overexpressed Thrombospondin 2 Induced Osteogenic Differentiation of Valve Interstitial Cells via Inhibition of Akt/NF-κB Signaling Pathway to Promote Calcific Aortic Valve Disease Development

Figure 2

THBS2 was high-expressed in CAVD and related to increased ALP activity during the OD of VICs. (a) and (b) The immunoreactivity of THBS2 in AV endothelial cells (a) and calcified AV tissue (b) from normal and CAVD samples was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (scale: 100 μm; magnification: ×200). (c) Relative mRNA expression of THBS2 in CAVD and adjacent normal tissues was assessed through qRT-PCR. GAPDH was a loading control. (d and e) Relative mRNA (d) and protein (e) expressions of THBS2 in VICs during the process of OD were tested by qRT-PCR and Western blot. GAPDH was a loading control. (f) ALP activity of VICs during the process of OD was detected through colorimetry. , , vs. control group. All experiments were repeated independently at least three times. Data were expressed as the . Abbreviations: THBS2: thrombospondin 2; CAVD: calcific aortic valve disease; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; OD: osteogenic differentiation; VICs: valve interstitial cells; AV: aortic valve; qRT-PCR: quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

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