Melatonin Prevents Osteoarthritis-Induced Cartilage Degradation via Targeting MicroRNA-140

Figure 3

In vitro treatments with melatonin inhibited the expression of matrix-degrading enzymes stimulated by IL-1β. (a–d) The mRNA levels of matrix-degrading enzyme genes, including ADAMTS4 (a), ADAMTS5 (b), MMP9 (c), and MMP13 (d), were quantified with real-time PCR using GAPDH for normalization. (e) The protein levels of matrix-degrading enzymes in melatonin-treated cells were determined using Western blot assays. Values are the of four independent experiments () in PCR experiments and three independent experiments () in Western blot assays. Statistically significant differences are indicated by # where or ## where vs. the CTRL group and where or where between the indicated groups.

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