Fig. 7From: MicroRNA-27b targets CBFB to inhibit differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into hypertrophic chondrocytesmiR-27b overexpression in hBMSCs inhibits their hypertrophic differentiation and enhances their ability to repair cartilage defects in a rat model. a Gross photos of articular cartilage defects in a rat model. Cartilage pellets induced from hBMSCs transfected with NC, miR-27b-SC-LV, and miR-27b-LV group (n = 6 in each group) were transplanted into model rats with full-thickness articular cartilage lesions. HE, Toluidine blue, and Safranin O staining of femoral sections. Scale bar = 100 μm. b Safranin O staining and Toluidine blue staining were performed to measure levels of GAGs and proteoglycans. Optical density for GAGs and proteoglycans was evaluated by ImageJ software, and the data represented GAG and proteoglycan content. c IHC staining of human nuclei, COL1, COL2, and COL10 in femoral sections to evaluate repair efficacy. Scale bar = 100 μm. d Optical density for human nuclei, COL1, COL2, and COL10 was evaluated by ImageJ software, and the data represented the expression levels of human nuclei, COL1, COL2, and COL10. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.001. e Mean histological scores obtained using the O’Driscoll score for cartilage repair at 4 weeks. *P < 0.05Back to article page