Figure 5.

(A) Histopathological assessment of synovium in ankle joints of rats after H&E staining. The right ankles of mice were excised and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, and subsequently decalcified using 10% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. They were then dehydrated via processing in alcohol/xylene mixtures with different proportions and concentrations. The histological sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The histopathological changes of the joint synovium were assessed for the degree of inflammatory cell infiltrate, by an experienced histopathologist. Microscopy at magnifications of 40×, 100×, 200× and 400× is shown for typical areas for each of the five groups. Normal rats (NC), displayed normal synovium. Increased inflammatory cell infiltration was noted in the synovium of MSU crystal-injected rats (MC). Treatment with COL, and 10 µg of BHA partially prevented the pathological changes seen in the MSU crystal-injected rats. (B) Quantification of the pro-inflammatory cells. Data are expressed as mean ± S.D. (n = 5), ###p < 0.001 relative to NC group (n = 5); *p < 0.05 and ***p < 0.001 relative to MC group.