Figure 5.

Effects of SM on the expression levels of MMP-13 and TIMP-1 in the knee joints of rats with anterior cruciate ligament transection and medial meniscus resection. The expression levels of these enzymes were assessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry, Photomicrographs were captured at ×200 magnification of representative cartilage sections from one animal per group. Quantitative immunohistochemistry analyses of the expression levels of these enzymes in the tibia are shown. Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation of samples from six rats in each group. ^*P<0.05, ^**P<0.01 and ^***P<0.001 compared with the model group; ^##P<0.01 and ^###P<0.001 compared with the sham group; SM, SanMiao formula; MMP-13, matrix metalloproteinase-13; TIMP-1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1; IOD, integrated optical density.