Research Article

OPN Deficiency Increases the Severity of Osteoarthritis Associated with Aberrant Chondrocyte Senescence and Apoptosis and Upregulates the Expression of Osteoarthritis-Associated Genes

Figure 3

In vivo study of the role of OPN deficiency in OA. (a) Immunohistochemistry was employed to evaluate the knockdown efficiency of OPN siRNA. (b) Safranin O staining of cartilage was performed and OARSI scores were compared among the three groups. (c) The expressions of SA-β-Gal, MMP-13, ADAMTS5, collagen type II, and aggrecan and the chondrocyte apoptosis percentage were compared among the three groups ( vs sham, # vs DMM + nontargeting siRNA).