Fig. 4

Effects of mild HT on the differentiation capacity of human AD-MSCs. a Schematic representation for the experimental design. b Oil red-staining images, c relative absorbance at 512 nm for Oil Red, and d relative expression levels of adipogenic genes (C/EBPα, PPARγ, and FABP) of the MSCs thermally stimulated and cultured in adipogeneic medium for 7 days. e Alcian blue-staining images, f relative absorbance at 600 nm for Alcian blue, and g relative expression levels of chondrogenic genes (COL2, SOX9, and ACAN) of the MSCs thermally stimulated and cultured in chondrogenic medium for 14 days. h Alizarin red-staining images, i relative absorbance at 556 nm for Alizarin red, and j relative expression levels of osteogenic genes (RUNX2, OPN, and ALP) of the MSCs thermally stimulated and cultured in osteogenic medium for 21 days. *p < 0.05 compared to the control group, and ^#p < 0.05 compared to the HT 41ºC group