Inhibition of the Notch1 Pathway Promotes the Effects of Nucleus Pulposus Cell-Derived Exosomes on the Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Nucleus Pulposus-Like Cells in Rats

Figure 5

NPC exosomes played a key role in MSC differentiation into NP-like cells in an indirect coculture system. (a, b) Expression of collagen II, aggrecan, and Sox9 in the coculture group was higher than that in the control, but lower than the coculture group (). Control: MSCs cultured alone; coculture group: MSCs indirectly cocultured with NPCs; exosome group: MSCs treated with NPC exosomes (50 μg/ml). (c) NPC Rab27a protein was knocked down via Rab27a siRNA transfection. (d) Exosomal proteins were extracted from the culture medium of the control group, siRNA NC group, and siRNA group and quantified with Bradford protein assay. Each group contain cells. Control: NPCs cultured alone; siRNA NC group: NPCs transfected with Rab27a siRNA-negative control; siRNA group: NPCs transfected with Rab27a siRNA. (e, f) Expression of collagen II, aggrecan, and Sox9 was analyzed by western blot analysis in MSCs, which were cocultured with NPCs transfected with Rab27a siRNA-negative control and Rab27a siRNA-negative control and Rab27a siRNA. All data were showed as . . , , and .

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