Figure 6.

Immunohistochemical effect of the reloading on the cartilage atrophy in the medial tibia: (A) Staining intensity of type-II collagen, (B) MMP13-positive cell density, (C) Aggrecan-positive cell density, And (D) ADAMTS-5-positive cell density. The staining intensity of the collagen did not change significantly during the experiment. MMP13 and ADAMTS-5-positive cell densities were significantly increased by 4 weeks of unloading but returned to a steady state after 2 weeks of reloading. Aggrecan-positive cell density was significantly increased throughout the experiment. Scale bar = 100 µm. ADAMTS-5 = A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5; HS = hindlimb suspension; RL = reloading.