Table 2.
Characteristics of young and aged rats
| Index | Aged group (n=12) | Young controls (n=9) | t | P |
| Value of Miyamoto’s classes | 0.85±0.36 | 0.81±0.23 | 0.291 | 1.1300 |
| Quantity of vascular bud | 13.96±4.55 | 19.76±6.95 | 2.313 | 0.0300 |
| Relative area of vascular bud (%) | 24.07±8.80 | 41.91±12.03 | 3.933 | 0.0009 |
| Ratio of non-calcified layer/calcified layer | 0.82±0.23 | 1.21±0.38 | 2.925 | 0.0080 |
| Collagen type X (non-calcified layer) | 135.20±33.9 | 88.41±23.7 | 3.533 | 0.0030 |
| Collagen type II (calcified layer) | 188.41±11.7 | 208.41±13.3 | 3.658 | 0.0018 |
| Collagen type II (nucleus pulposus) | 338.41±31.7 | 408.41±53.3 | 3.765 | 0.0014 |
| Water/hydrous nucleus pulposus | 0.7300±0.0279 | 0.8356±0.0357 | 7.605 | 0.0007 |
| Glycosaminoglycan/dry nucleus pulpous | 0.1683±0.0189 | 0.3689±0.0440 | 14.231 | 0.0003 |