Fig. 1. Wedelolactone promotes the differentiation of hiPSC-derived MSCs to chondrocytes in vitro. (A) Schematic procedure of the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs induced by human iPSC-derived MSCs. (B) Image of the chondrogenic pellet differentiated from human iPSC-derived MSCs. (C) Gene expression analysis of the chondrogenic differentiation markers (collagen type II alpha-1 [COL2A1], SRY-box transcription factor 9 [SOX9], and aggrecan [ACAN]) in the chondrogenic pellet. (D) Immunohistochemistry image of the chondrogenic pellet stained with COL2A1 and ACAN. Scale bar=100 μm. Mean density was used to quantify the COL2A1 and ACAN contents in the chondrogenic pellet. (E) Immunofluorescence image of iPSC-derived MSCs under chondrogenic differentiation stained with SOX9, COL2A1, and ACAN. Scale bar=100 μm. Relative fluorescence intensity was used to quantify the expression levels of SOX9, COL2A1, and ACAN. Data are expressed as the mean±standard deviation (SD) (n=3). Statistical differences were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Dunnett’s test: **p<0.01, ***p<0.001. EB: embryoid body, iMSCs: human iPSC-derived MSCs, Chon-dif: chondrogenic differentiation.

International Journal of Stem Cells 2023;16:326-41 https://doi.org/10.15283/ijsc22046

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