Fig. 5

OPG and RANKL staining of periodontal tissues measured by AuNPs combined with hBD3. a OPG staining (red arrows indicate osteoblasts that were dyed brown) (× 400) and b RANKL staining (× 400). Corresponding quantitative analysis of OPG expression (c) and RANKL expression (d) in periodontal tissues. ^*P < 0.05, ^**P < 0.01, ^***P < 0.001, compared with the NaCl + ligation group. ^##P < 0.01, ^###P < 0.001