Figure 1.
Study flow chart. The flow chart shows the experimental design and number of mice used per experiment/outcome in this study for determining (a) the effect of metformin for joint contracture, and (b) the effective time of metformin administration for joint capsular fibrosis. Non-striped upward triangles indicate the histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Striped upward triangles indicate gene expression analysis. Non-Im, mice with non-immobilized knees; Im+/Met−, mice with immobilized knees but no metformin; Im+/Met+, mice with immobilized knees who were administered metformin; Im+/Met 0–4 weeks, mice with immobilized knees and metformin administered from 0 to 4 weeks; Im+/Met 0–2 weeks, mice with immobilized knees and metformin administered from 0 to 2 weeks; Im+/Met 2–4 weeks, mice with immobilized knees and metformin administered from 2 to 4 weeks.