Fig. 5

Subretinal transplantation of hPDLSCs preserved photoreceptor cell structure. a–c Confocal images of immunolabeled retinal sections showing rhodopsin staining (red) with DAPI counterstaining (blue) in untreated retinas (W/O, a) and retinas injected with PBS (vehicle, b) or hPDLSCs (PDLSC, c) at 4 weeks post transplantation. Arrows indicate aberrant accumulation of rhodopsin in rod cell bodies. d–f Images of retinas from untreated, PBS-treated, and PDLSC-treated RCS rats immunostained for rhodopsin (red) and recoverin (green) with DAPI counterstaining (blue). Anti-recoverin-labeled photoreceptor synaptic terminals were seen in human PDLSC-treated retinal sections at 4 weeks post transplantation (arrowheads). Scale bar = 20 μm. DZ debris zone, ONL outer nuclear layer, INL inner nuclear layer, GCL ganglion cell layer, DAPI 4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole, PDLSC periodontal ligament-derived stem cell