Fig. 5

Effects of conditioned medium (CM) from MSCs on the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway and the proliferative ability of MSCs cultured in STK2 serum-free medium or 10% FBS-containing medium. HPMCs were grown, then the medium was replaced with CM from 10%MSCs, CM from SF-MSCs, or control medium. After 12 h, HPMCs were treated with TGF-β1 for 30 min (pSmad2, pSmad3) or 24 h (α-SMA), and whole-cell lysates were prepared and subjected to western blot analysis. Western blot analysis of a pSmad2, b pSmad3, and c α-SMA expression. Graph showing the densitometric analysis of pSmad2, pSmad3, and α-SMA expression normalized to Smad2, Smad3, and GAPDH expression. n = 5 per group. *P < 0.05 (Kruskal–Wallis test). d MSCs were cultured in DMEM containing 10% FBS or STK2 for 0, 12, 24, and 48 h. Surviving cells were subsequently assessed via WST-1 assay. Graph showing the absorbance value at each time point. n = 5 per group. *P < 0.05 (Mann–Whitney U test)