Table 1.
Histological analysis of matrix substance and proteoglycans (aggrecan, decorin, and versican) for collagen loss in knee cartilage of VDDef, VDSuff, and VDSupp swine
| Swine group | Alcian blue staining | Safranin-O and Fast Green staining | Modified Russell-Movat pentachrome staining (blue-green/yellow) | Aggrecan+ cells/mm2 | Decorin+ cells/mm2 | Versican+ cells/mm2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VDDef | ||||||
| 1 | 3 | 0 | 3/4 | 4.72 ± 0.84 | 12.16 ± 1.39 | 5.06 ± 1.23 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 2/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 3/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3/4 | 18.51 ± 4.42 | 11.29 ± 0.41 | 10.4 ± 1.25 |
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 3/4 | 20.58 ± 2.85 | 11.16 ± 1.69 | 8.34 ± 0.52 |
| VDSuff | ||||||
| 1 | 5 | 2 | 2/4 | 31.95 ± 4.23 | 56.22 ± 2.88 | 28.11 ± 1.90 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 4/2 | 20.18 ± 2.88 | 17.54 ± 3.01 | 13.38 ± 1.51 |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | 3/3 | 18.5 ± 1.5 | 18.97 ± 3.56 | 17.98 ± 1.20 |
| 4 | 2 | 5 | 3/1 | 51.18 ± 2.59 | 19.46 ± 3.3 | 20.90 ± 3.14 |
| 5 | 5 | 3 | 4/1 | 63.79 ± 8.19 | 29.85 ± 2.27 | 15.37 ± 1.5 |
| VDSupp | ||||||
| 1 | 4 | 3 | 5/1 | 36.95 ± 3.48 | 15.78 ± 0.67 | 19.26 ± 1.69 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | 5/1 | 27.54 ± 1.87 | 10.57 ± 2.2 | 9.61 ± 2.31 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 5/2 | 28.74 ± 1.88 | 11.05 ± 1.1 | 8.41 ± 1.81 |
Abbreviations: VDDef Vitamin D-deficient, VDSuff Vitamin D-sufficient, VDSupp Vitamin D-supplemented
Alcian blue, Safranin-O Fast Green, and modified Russell-Movat pentachrome staining were done for assessment of cartilage mucosubstance damage. Immunohistochemical staining was done for aggrecans, decorins, and versicans, and the immunopositive cell density was calculated. Data are presented as mean ± SD for immunopositive cell density. See the Methods section for discussion of cartilage grading