Fig. 7.

Redifferentiation capacity of expanded chondrocytes was assessed at the protein level using chondrocyte-pellets after incubation in a serum-containing medium for 14 days. (A) Alcian blue staining was used for sulfated GAGs with fast red as a counterstain, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was for collagens I and II (DAB substrate had a brown color suggestive of positive staining) with hematoxylin as a counterstain. The scale bar was 800 μm. (B) Western blot was used to detect collagen II in extracellular matrix (mature) and cytoplasm (immature) of pellets with β-actin as an internal control at days 7 and 14.