Figure 8. Targeted manipulation of the LncRNA SPIRE1/miR-181a-5p/PRLR pathway in BM-MSCs enhanced their immunomodulation in mice with periodontitis. (A–I) After disease induction, mice were left un-treated, or infused with control mandibular BM-MSCs, or the mandibular BM-MSCs transfected with miR-181a-5p inhibitor, or the mandibular BM-MSC infected with control lentivirus or PRLR-expressing lentivirus as indicated. The up-regulated expression of PRLR after infection of PRLR-expressing lentivirus was confirmed by western blot assays. (A) Micro-CT images show the osteogenesis around the periodontal tissues. (B–E) The BV/TV (%) (B), Tb.N1 (C), Tb.Th (D), and Tb.Sp (E) in mice of the indicated groups were summarized. (F–H) Histological analyses of the periodontal tissues by H&E staining (F), TRAP staining (G), and Masson staining (H) were conducted. The representative images of each group are shown. (I) The protein levels of JAK2 and pSTAT3 in periodontal tissues of the indicated groups were quantitated by western blot assays. n = 5 mice for each group; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001, between the indicated groups.