This correction notice addresses image concerns identified after publication of the original article reporting that Decorin inhibits glucose‑induced lens epithelial cell apoptosis by suppressing the p22phox‑p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Specifically, panels Fig 1A and Fig 1D in the originally published Fig 1 were observed to appear to overlap, prompting clarification and replacement of the incorrect panel.
Co‑first author JS acknowledged that the panel labeled Fig 1D in the originally published figure was incorrect. The authors provided an updated version of Fig 1 that includes the correct Fig 1D drawn from the original experiments described in the primary article. The corrected figure image files were submitted to the journal as part of the correction.
A member of the PLOS ONE Editorial Board reviewed the updated Fig 1 and stated that the replacement image supports the results reported in the original article. This editorial assessment is reported in the correction notice and pertains specifically to the corrected figure content relative to the study claims.
The correction notice also states that several underlying data files were missing from the original list of Supporting Information. The authors supplied the missing raw and individual‑level data as the following supplementary files:
S1 File: Underlying images in support of Figs 1A–D (ZIP). This includes the image data used for the corrected Fig 1 panels.
S2 File: Underlying individual‑level data in support of Fig 1E and multiple panels across Figs 2–8 (ZIP). The notice clarifies that for certain panels (Figs 3B, 4B, 4D and 6B) the underlying files contain raw values while the published graphs were generated as fold changes relative to control.
S3 File: Underlying individual‑level data in support of Fig 2B and FACS output files supporting Figs 2A and 5C (ZIP).
S4 File: Underlying individual‑level data in support of Fig 5F (XLSX).
S5 File: Underlying data supporting Table 1 (XLSX).
With these additions, the authors have provided the raw data underlying Table 1 and Figs 1–8. The correction notice states that, following submission of these files, all relevant data are now provided alongside the article.
The corrected Fig 1 presents cell morphology panels (A–D) showing HLEB3 cells treated with different concentrations of decorin, and panel E reporting results of a CCK‑8 cell viability assay. According to the figure legend included in the correction notice:
Panels A–D: Light microscopy images of HLEB3 cells at the different decorin concentrations show no obvious morphological changes among the groups.
Panel E: The CCK‑8 assay indicated no significant difference in cell viability among the different decorin concentration groups (legend indicates P > 0.05 versus the 0 nM group). Error bars are reported as means ± SEM in the figure legend.
The corrected figure is available for download in PNG and TIFF formats via the links provided in the correction notice.
The correction notice reports that the editorial review of the replaced Fig 1 supports the originally reported results. The primary substantive updates concern image correction for Fig 1D and the provision of raw data files that were previously omitted from the Supporting Information list. No additional changes to experimental results, statistical outcomes, or conclusions are reported in the correction notice.
Researchers and readers seeking to reanalyze or verify the study findings can access the newly provided supporting files (S1–S5) as listed in the correction. The notice explicitly states that with submission of these files, all relevant data for the study are now provided.
The correction cites the original article (Du S, Shao J, Xie D, Zhang F. Decorin inhibits glucose‑induced lens epithelial cell apoptosis via suppressing p22phox‑p38 MAPK signaling pathway. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0224251) and provides DOIs and links to the corrected figure and supplementary files. The correction itself is published with its own DOI and citation details as listed in the notice.
Note: This rewritten correction summarizes only the information provided in the published correction notice. No additional experimental details or data beyond those reported in the correction and its listed supporting files were invented or inferred.