Figure 4. circFADS2 silencing reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in LPS-treated chondrocytes. (A) CCK8 assay showing that transfection with a circFADS2 silencer (si-circFADS2) inhibited cell proliferation of LPS-treated chondrocytes. (B) Soft agar colony formation assay for the LPS-treated chondrocytes transfected with si-circFADS2 or si-NC, and that of non-transfected cells. The right panel shows the number of colonies formed in each group. (C) Flow cytometry analysis showing the levels of apoptosis in the different groups of chondrocytes. (D) WB and (E) qPCR analysis showing that circFADS2 inhibition downregulates Bcl-2 and up-regulates Bax in LPS-treated chondrocytes. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. LPS group.