Cobalt Chloride Enhances the Anti-Inflammatory Potency of Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells through the ERK-HIF-1α-MicroRNA-146a-Mediated Signaling Pathway

Figure 2

Effects of cobalt chloride (CoCl₂) on the characterization of hUCB-MSCs. (a and b) The morphology and growth curve of cultured hUCB-MSCs were analyzed. hUCB-MSCs were treated with the indicated concentrations of CoCl₂ for 72 hr. Phase-contrast image of hUCB-MSCs were obtained with an inverted microscope equipped with a digital camera. Cell viability was determined with the MTS assay. (c) The immunophenotypic characteristics of naïve hUCB-MSCs and CoCl₂-treated hUCB-MSCs were examined by flow cytometry. (d) During incubation in specialized induction media, multilineage differentiation was measured by staining for typical lineage markers. Osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic lineages were measured by staining for von Kossa, Oil Red O, or safranin O, respectively. Data represent the , . MSC: naïve hUCB-MSCs; CoMSC: CoCl₂-pretreated hUCB-MSCs.

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