Fig. 7.

Regeneration of the critical size cranial bone defect was shown by histological examination at 6 and 12 weeks. H&E staining was performed at 6 weeks for a) Blank control (no implant), b) Pristine hydrogel and c) Oxygen-generating scaffold, and at 12 weeks for d) Blank control, e) Pristine hydrogel, and f) Oxygen-generating scaffold. Images were taken at 1.25X and 10X magnification for detailed depiction. Yellow arrows indicate native bone tissue. The green arrows and lines represent the range of the original critical size bone defect. Red arrows indicate new bone formation. The results show that the oxygen-generating scaffolds support bone regeneration most effectively after 12 weeks post-op compared to the blank and the pristine hydrogel groups.