Fig. 5

Attenuation of OA progression by miR-99a overexpression. (A) Histopathological staining of cartilage tissue from different groups of rats. (B) OARSI scores were determined by observation of Safranin O Fast Green staining sections. (C) The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) in blood samples derived from OA rats were determined by ELISA. (D) The levels of miR-99a and FZD8 expression in articular cartilage derived from OA rats. (E) The levels of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, Col2A1, MMP-13, β-catenin, and FZD8 proteins in articular cartilage derived from OA rats were measured by western blotting. **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, compared with sham; ##p < 0.01, ###p < 0.001, compared with model, N = 10. AB, Alcian Blue staining; SF, Safranin O Fast Green staining; TBO, Toluidine Blue O staining