Fig. 6

The effect of IASM on BMSCs cartilage regeneration. a Safranin O/fast green staining of cartilage repair 6 weeks after BMSCs implantation. The residual immature area (RIA, white dashed line) and residual gel area (RGA, yellow dashed line) were calculated (right, n = 3). Bars = 400 μm. b–d The immunohistochemistry staining for Col II (b), Agg (c), and Col I (d) of cartilage repair 6 weeks after BMSCs implantation. Bars = 400 μm. e Safranin O/fast green staining of cartilage repair 3 months after BMSCs implantation. Bars = 400 μm. The Pineda score of cartilage regeneration was evaluated (right, n = 3). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01