FIG. 5.

Rat adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) attach to and are maintained within MCT-PHT lung scaffolds in slice culture. Rat ASCs seeded into the airway of control (A–D) and MCT-PHT (E–H) scaffolds adhered to the airway ECM and persisted in slice culture. At 7 and 14 days, morphological changes were observed in cells attached to the ECM of bronchi in both control and MCT-PHT scaffolds (insets). (I–P) Rat ASCs seeded into the vasculature attached to the ECM of large blood vessels as well as capillaries but were not found in the airspace. No obvious morphological changes were observed in cells seeded into the vasculature after 14 days in culture. Scale bars indicate 100 μm in main images and 50 μm in inset images. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/tea