Fig. 2
From: Therapeutic role of aripiprazole in cartilage defects explored through a drug repurposing approach
Functional screening of drugs promoting chondrogenic differentiation (A) First Screening of Cartilage Differentiation-Promoting Drugs: Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) were treated with 10 µM of each drug for 72 h. The expression levels of COL2A1 (top) and SOX9 (bottom) mRNA were assessed using qRT-PCR. Dotted lines indicate drugs that significantly increased SOX9 and COL2A1 expression compared to DMSO control. (B) Second Screening: The Venn diagram shows the overlap of drugs that increased COL2A1 and SOX9 expression. Bar graphs present relative mRNA expression levels with statistical significance indicated. The cartilage-differentiation effect of seven drugs selected from the first screening was re-evaluated by measuring changes in mRNA levels of COL2A1, SOX9, and aggrecan (ACAN).: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 (n = 3). (C) ADMSCs were cultured in pellet form and treated with DMSO, aripiprazole, or irinotecan for three weeks. Aripiprazole treatment showed increased cartilage differentiation compared to DMSO and irinotecan. (D) Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining and Alcian blue staining of pellet cultures. Aripiprazole treatment resulted in larger pellet size and more intense staining, indicating enhanced cartilage matrix production. Scale bars represent 100 μm.
