Fig. 5.

Immunohistochemical staining of the repair tissue at 1 week after surgery

Sagittal sections of full-thickness articular cartilage defects in the loading group (A, B) and unloading group (C, D). The articular cartilage defect is located in the center of the femur. The sections are immunohistochemically stained for type I collagen (A, C) and type II collagen (B, D). In the staining for type I collagen, strong staining is observed in the repair tissue of both groups. In the staining for type II collagen, partial, almost complete, and complete staining of type II collagen is observed in the repair tissue of both groups. Scale bar = 500 µm.