Fig 2.

Median score points for morphology (A), cell distribution (B) and cell integration (C) of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC)-seeded tendon scaffolds. Morphology (A) of MSC-seeded scaffolds preloaded with TGFβ3, BMP12, TGFβ3, and BMP12 or without any growth factor was assessed macroscopically after 3 and 5 days. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained paraffin sections of MSC-seeded scaffolds were evaluated for cell distribution (B) and cell integration (C) after 3 and 5 days (10x magnification). Applied rating systems are given in Table 1. Bars represent the median values and error bars the 95% confidence interval; # indicates significant differences between the marked sample groups (p < 0.05).