Fig. 5

RNPs prevent H₂O₂-induced metabolic homeostatic imbalance and prevent senescence in chondrocytes. (A) Alcian blue staining of primary articular chondrocytes, treated with 200 µM H₂O₂ for 24 h and maintained in 50 µM H₂O₂ for an additional week in the absence or presence of NPs, Rapamycin and RNPs, Scale Bar 500 μm. Except the Ctrl group, the other groups were treated with H₂O₂. (B, C) The expression of the catabolic marker Mmp13 (n = 3) and the cartilage-specific marker Col2a1 (n = 3) in primary articular chondrocytes induced with 200 µM H₂O₂. (D-H) The expression of relative proteins (Col II, SOX9, MMP13 and p-S6) in primary articular chondrocytes induced with 200 µM H₂O₂. (I) SA-β-gal staining of primary articular chondrocytes after H₂O₂-induction, Scale Bar 100 μm. (J) Quantification of SA-β-gal positive primary articular chondrocytes (n = 3). (K) The expression of the senescence marker P21 in primary articular chondrocytes, induced with 200 µM H₂O₂ (n = 3). Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc analysis. Data are presented as means ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001