Fig. 3

SHED-Exos suppress the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in chondrocytes. a Human chondrocytes were pretreated with SHED-CM or SHED-Exos followed by stimulation with IL-1β (10 ng/ml). Quantification of expression levels by RT-qPCR revealed significant downregulation of inflammatory factors after 24 h of stimulation (n = 3). b Protein levels were determined by western blotting (n = 3). c Protein semi-quantitative analysis of MMP1, MMP9, and MMP13. d Representative image of immunofluorescence staining shows labeled SHED-Exos (green) endocytosed by SHEDs at 37 °C (counterstaining with DAPI; blue). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Data with P values < 0.05 (one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test) were considered significant; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.001