Fig. 5

Quercetin significantly reversed FAC-induced apoptosis in osteoblasts by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR. A MC3T3-E1 cells were identified by Alizarin red staining. The scale bar: 100 μm. B MC3T3-E1 cells were exposed to FAC, FAC + quercetin (L), FAC + quercetin (M) or FAC + quercetin (H). The expressions of FOS, JUN, TGF-β1, and PPARD in MC3T3-E1 cells were investigated by western blot. C The expressions of p-mTOR, mTOR, p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT, AKT, Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase-3 in MC3T3-E1 cells were assessed by western blot. D The viability of MC3T3-E1 cells was assessed by CCK8 assay. E MC3T3-E1 cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. *P < 0.05 compared to control. ^#P < 0.05 compared to model