Fig. 4

Human PDLSC transplantation preserved photoreceptors. a–f H&E-stained retinal sections showed the marked preservation of the ONL in human PDLSC-treated eyes (c, f) compared with untreated (W/O, a, d) and PBS-treated (vehicle, b, e) eyes at 4 weeks (a–c) and 8 weeks (d–f) post transplantation. Scale bar = 50 μm. g–j ONL and INL thickness of untreated RCS rats and rats receiving human PBS (vehicle) or PDLSC treatment at 4 weeks (g, h) and 8 weeks (i, j) post transplantation. k Real-time RT-PCR analysis showing expression levels of Rho, Crx, and Opsin in human PDLSC-treated retinas were significantly higher than those in untreated and PBS-treated eyes at 4 weeks post transplantation. Data presented as mean ± SD. n ≥ 4 retinas per group at each time point. *p < 0.05. ONL outer nuclear layer, INL inner nuclear layer, PDLSC periodontal ligament-derived stem cell