Fig. 6.

Improvement of renal function 36 h after bilateral ischemia by eEPC encapsulated into HA hydrogels and implanted in the mouse ear (and treated with hyaluronidase) or implanted subcapsularly in the kidney. A: hydrogel implants containing encapsulated eEPC improved serum creatinine levels 36 h after bilateral ischemia. Hydrogel ear implants that were digested with hyaluronidase enzyme mixture (causing mobilization of eEPC) resulted in significantly improved serum creatinine levels and were statistically equivalent to serum creatinine levels that were observed when hydrogels with encapsulated eEPC were implanted directly under the renal capsule. B: when hydrogels were implanted in mouse ears without encapsulated eEPC (either with or without the addition of digestive enzymes), serum creatinine levels were not changed 36 h after bilateral ischemia. *P < 0.05 vs. ischemia alone; n = 5.