Fig. 3

Effects of soluble biglycan (sBGN) on the expression of aggrecan and collagen type II (Col-II). a In primary chondrocytes, sBGN decreased aggrecan and Col-II. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used as a positive control. b In cartilage explants, sBGN did not affect aggrecan (ACAN) or Col-II(COL2A1) in grade I osteoarthritis (OA) but decreased Col-II(COL2A1) in grade IV OA, with a different response in mild and severe OA. The results are expressed as fold changes (mean ± SD) relative to the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) housekeeper and compared with non-stimulated controls. Samples were run as technical duplicates, and each experiment was done using samples obtained from at least six different donors (biological replicates). *p < 0.05 vs. non-stimulated controls; ^## p < 0.01 for pairwise comparisons between mild grade I OA and severe grade IV OA. mRNA messenger RNA