Zirconium Ions Up-Regulate the BMP/SMAD Signaling Pathway and Promote the Proliferation and Differentiation of Human Osteoblasts
Figure 6
Localization of BMP2 in HOBs treated with zirconium solutions.
In untreated control (A, A’) and NaNO3-reated control (E,E’)HOBs, BMP2 localized strongly in the cell nuclei (arrows) but weakly detected in the cytoplasm. In ZrO(NO3)2-treated HOBs (B-D), BMP2 is strongly localized in nuclei. Localization of BMP2 protein is also strongly observed in the cytoplasm of HOBs treated with ZrO(NO3)2 at 50 and 500 µM (arrows, C,C’,D,D’). Localization of BMP2 in ZrCl4-treated HOBs (F-H) is similar to that in ZrO(NO3)2-treated HOBs. Scale bar: 50 µm.