Fig. 3

The mitochondrial morphology of UMSC-P4 and UMSC-P9. a Electron microscope images show mitochondrial morphological and structure changes in UMSC-P4 and UMSC-P9. Mitochondria of UMSC-P9 became larger and longer than that of UMSC-P4. Red dotted circles represent mitochondria. The mitochondrial structure of UMSC-P4 were clear and well-organized. In contrast, that of UMSC-P9 were unclear and disordered, and some swollen regions devoid of cristae (red arrow). Scale bar, 500 nm. b Representative images of the mitochondria of UMSC-P4 and UMSC-P9 stained by MitoTracker Red. Some small and punctate fragments (white arrow) were visible in the mitochondria of UMSC-P9. Scale bar, 50 µm. c Representative flow cytometry images of the membrane potential of UMSC-P4 and UMSC-P9 revealed by TMRM probe. d Quantification of apoptosis percentages in UMSC-P4 and UMSC-P9 (n ≥ 3). e Western Blot analysis of cell apoptosis of UMSC-P4 and UMSC-P9 with the antibodies against cleaved caspase 3, Bcl2 and β-actin. The protein level of β-actin was used as internal control