Fig. 1

Iron overload decreased the viability and increased the apoptosis rate of MC3T3-E1 cells. A The viability of MC3T3-E1 cells was evaluated by CCK-8 assay after exposure to FAC (0–3.0 mM) for 24, 48 and 72 h. *P < 0.05 vs. the control. B MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with 0 and 1.8 mM FAC for 24 h. The nuclei of apoptotic cells treated with 1.8 mM FAC were densely stained with Hoechst 33,258, and were condensed and bright. Scale bars: 100 μm. C Quantitative analysis of apoptosis based on Hoechst 33,258 staining. *P < 0.05 vs. the control. D Cells were exposed to FAC (0–2.4 mM) for 24 h. Apoptotic MC3T3-E1 cells stained with Annexin V/PI were determined by flow cytometric analysis. E Apoptosis-related protein expression levels of cells were evaluated by western blot analysis after exposure to 0–1.8 mM FAC for 24 h