Fig. 6

Subretinal transplantation of hPDLSCs reduced apoptosis and gliosis of rat retinas. a–i Representative images showing TUNEL labeling of apoptotic ONL cells (b, e, h) with DAPI counterstaining (a, d, g) and merged images (c, f, i). Scale bar = 50 μm. j Quantitative analysis showing percentage of TUNEL-positive nuclei was significantly smaller in human PDLSC-treated eyes than in the untreated (W/O) or PBS-treated (vehicle) eyes at 4 weeks post transplantation. n ≥ 4 eyes per group. *p < 0.05. k–m GFAP immunoreactivity in untreated (k), PBS-treated (l), and human PDLSC-injected (m) retinas. GFAP-labeled Müller cell processes (upward-pointing arrows in k and l) extended into the subretinal space. Scale bar = 50 μm. DAPI 4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole, PDLSC periodontal ligament-derived stem cell, TUNEL terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling