Fig. 3

Aspirin inhibits osteoclast differentiation in RANKL-stimulated imDCs. a TRAP⁺ multinuclear cells (MNCs) with more than three nuclei were considered mature osteoclasts (OCs). TRAP staining showed that aspirin significantly suppressed the formation of RANKL-induced osteoclast-like cells among imDCs (P < 0.01). b RT-PCR showed that aspirin treatment downregulated expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), calcitonin receptor (CTR), and cathepsin K (CTSK) (P < 0.01). c Consistent with the RT-PCR results, western blot analysis showed that CTSK expression levels were increased during osteopetrosis induction but that aspirin treatment partially suppressed this increase. All experiments are representative of three replicates. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. Scale bar = 20 μm in a