Sinomenine increases osteogenesis in mice with ovariectomy-induced bone loss by modulating autophagy

Figure 4 Sinomenine upregulates autophagy in bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of the rapamycin pathway. A-D: Protein levels of SQSTM, BECN1 and LC3B II/LC3B I after sinomenine (SIN) treatment (12 h); E and F: Quantitative analysis of the average fluorescence intensity of LC3B; G and H: BECN1 and SQSTM mRNA levels after SIN and 3-methyladenine (3-MA) treatment (12 h); I-K: Protein levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and AKT and mammalian target of the rapamycin phosphorylation levels after SIN and 3-MA treatment (12 h). n = 3 per group. Values are shown as the means ± SD. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01, all data were normalized relative to the sham bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell group. OVX: Ovariectomized; SIN: Sinomenine; 3-MA: 3-methyladenine; BMSC: Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell; mTOR: Mammalian target of the rapamycin.