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 3

THBS2 was related to increased calcic nodule formation and the expressions of factors associated with OD and ECM during the OD of VICs. (a) Calcic nodule formation of VICs during the process of OD was observed by Alizarin Red staining (scale: 200 μm; magnification: ×100). (b) and (c) Relative mRNA expressions of osteocalcin, Runx2, SPARC, COL1A2, and COL1A1 (b) and SPP1, CTGF, MMP-2, and MMP-13 (c) in VICs during the process of OD were determined through qRT-PCR. GAPDH was a loading control. , , vs. control group. All experiments were repeated independently at least three times. Data were expressed as the . Abbreviations: THBS2: thrombospondin 2; OD: osteogenic differentiation; ECM: extracellular matrix; VICs: valve interstitial cells; Runx2: Runt-related transcription factor-2; SPARC: secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine; COL1A: collagen type I alpha; SPP1: secreted phosphoprotein 1; CTGF: connective tissue growth factor; MMP-: matrix metalloproteinase-; qRT-PCR: quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

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