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. 2014 Oct;184(10):2662–2670. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2014.06.016

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the corneal epithelium and associated epithelial nerves. Corneal nerves were labeled with neuronal βIII tubulin (green) and nuclei were counterstained with propidium iodide (red, 63×). A: Three-dimensional surface-rendering view from the apical surface shows the spatial distribution of the subbasal nerve plexus (SBNP). B: The view from the side shows the terminal epithelial nerves (TEN)s. C: The view from within the corneal epithelium shows the branching patterns and interconnections among TENs (solid arrows indicate TENs, open arrows indicate the SBNP). D and E: The mean density of basal epithelial cells was reduced significantly in the streptozotocin (STZ)-treated animals compared with vehicle-treated controls at both 12 weeks (P = 0.011, n = 8 for both STZ and control groups) (D) and 18 weeks (P = 0.012, n = 8 for both STZ and control groups) (E). Data are representative of means ± SD. Scale bars: 8 μm (A–C).