Stromal cell-derived factor-1α promotes recruitment and differentiation of nucleus pulposus-derived stem cells

Figure 5 Effects of stromal cell-derived factor-1/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 axis on chondrogenesis differentiation of nucleus pulposus-derived stem cells in vitro. A and B: Western blot (A) and real-time RT-PCR (B) showed that stromal cell-derived factor-1α upregulated the expression of chondrocyte phenotypes such as aggrecan, collagen II, and Sox-9 in a dose-dependent manner. However, the upregulated expression of aggrecan and collagen II was suppressed by AMD3100. Data are presented as the mean ± SD, n = 3, ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01. SDF-1: Stromal cell-derived factor-1; Sox-9: SRY-related high mobility group box gene 9.