Pyroptotic cell death was examined according to a previously published protocol (37 (link)). Briefly, the cultured BMMSCs were stained with caspase-1 antibody (D-3), FITC (sc-392736; Santa Cruz Biotechnology), and propidium iodide (PI) for 1 h and fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde on ice for 10 min. Following washing with Hanks’ balanced salt solution (Sigma-Aldrich), the cells were analyzed with a BD Accuri C6 Plus cell analyzer (BD Biosciences).