Background It has been established that skeletal growth is stunted in lead-exposed children.
Because chondrogenesis is a seminal step during skeletal development, elucidating the
impact of Pb on this process is the first step toward understanding the mechanism of Pb
toxicity in the skeleton. Objectives The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that Pb
alters chondrogenic commitment of mesenchymal cells and to assess the effects of Pb on
various signaling pathways. Methods We assessed the influence of Pb on chondrogenesis …