Fig. 2.

Diabetes increases endplate degeneration in mice. A: MRI of mouse intervertebral discs; B: The flow chart of mouse endplate micro-CT examination and reconstruction; C: Representative images of endplate micro-CT and quantitative analysis of the BMD and BV/TV of cephalic and caudal endplates based on the micro-CT images; D: H&E staining of mouse intervertebral discs and quantitative analysis of normal chondrocyte number. Red arrows: calcification; Black arrows: abnormal chondrocytes; Green arrows: normal chondrocytes; *: blood vessels. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ****p < 0.0001 (n = 5). Scale bars are labeled in the figure. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)