Figure 3

Effects of endothelin-1 (ET1) on regulation of lineage-specific differentiation capacity of pre-differentiated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). hMSCs pretreated with (pre-ET1+) or without ET1 (pre-ET1-) for two passages were induced for osteogenesis (A,B), chondrogenesis (C,D), or adipogenesis (E,F) for 21 days. (A,B) Osteogenesis was evaluated by analyzing relative mRNA expression levels of bone-related markers (A) or Alizarin red staining and quantification of calcium deposition (B). (C,D) Chondrogenesis was assessed by analyzing relative mRNA expression levels of cartilage-related markers (C) or Alcian blue staining and quantification of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) production (D). (E,F) Adipogenesis was evaluated by analyzing relative mRNA levels of fat-related markers (E) or Oil Red O staining and quantification of lipid droplets (F). *P < 0.05; n = 3. Scale bar: 200 μm.