Fig. 5.

MRI T2 maps demonstrating differences in articular cartilage matrix organization and composition in the repair regions in the APEF (Fig. 5-A) and APEF+BMDMSCs (Fig. 5-B) groups compared with native control cartilage (Fig. 5-C). The arrows indicate the margins of the repair zones. Both defects lack the laminar pattern typical of the native cartilage, in which the T2 values increase from low (red/orange) values at the bone-cartilage interface to higher (green/blue) values at the articular surface. The repair treated with APEF+BMDMSCs (Fig. 5-B) has thinner repair tissue and higher T2 values (suggestive of greater water content) than the repair treated only with APEF (Fig. 5-A).