Fig. 7.

NOX4 inhibitor attenuates cartilage damage of OA rat model caused by lactate. (A) Lactate or NS injection was conducted twice a week for 4 weeks, and one week after anterior cruciate ligment transection (ACLT) combined with destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery. The sham operation with the control rats was performed with a similar incision at the joint without the meniscus and ligaments section. (B) The representative images of HE staining, safranin O-fast green, and masson staining for joints from OA models injected with lactate or NS, and rats with sham and NS injection (n = 5, per group). Scale bar, 50 μm, 100 μm. (D) Lactate or lactate plus GLX351322 injection was conducted twice a week for 4 weeks, one week after OA surgery. (E) The representative images of HE staining, safranin O-fast green, and masson staining for joints from OA models injected with lactate or lactate and GLX351322 (n = 5, per group). Scale bar, 50 μm, 100 μm. (C and F) The Mankin’s score of cartilage was evaluated according to HE staining and the OARSI score of cartilage was evaluated according to safranin O-fast green staining. Data are presented as mean ± SD, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)