Fig. 7

Inhibition of miR-143-5p facilitates NP cell differentiation by inactivating the AMPK signaling pathway. a Protein levels of CLO2, ACAN, and DCN in NP cells from degenerative IVD treated with miR-143-5p mimic, inhibitor, or AICAR. b Protein bands of CLO2, ACAN, and DCN in NP cells from degenerative IVD treated with miR-143-5p mimic, inhibitor, or AICAR; AICAR was the activator of the AMPK signaling pathway; the experiment was repeated three times independently; data were expressed by mean ± standard deviation; data among multiple groups were analyzed using one-way ANOVA; ^*, p < 0.05 vs. the control group (NP cells from normal IVD); ^#, p < 0.05 vs. the blank group (NP cells from degenerative IVD without transfection) and the NC group (NP cells from degenerative IVD transfected with NC sequence); miR-143-5p mimic group refers to NP cells from degenerative IVD transfected with miR-143-5p mimic; miR-143-5p inhibitor group refers to NP cells from degenerative IVD transfected with miR-143-5p inhibitor; AICAR group refers to NP cells from degenerative IVD treated with AMPK signaling pathway activator, AICAR; miR-143-5p inhibitor + AICAR group refers to NP cells of degenerative IVD treated with AICAR and transfected with miR-143-5p inhibitor. miR-143-5p, microRNA-143-5p; COL2, collagen type II; ACAN, aggrecan; DCN, decorin; GAPDN, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; NC, negative control; AMPK, AMP activated protein kinase; NP, nucleus pulposus; ANOVA, analysis of variance