Fig. 2

Synovitis evaluation in CIA mice after different treatments. a Examples of H&E staining results representing local joint damage in each mouse. Black dotted box: increasing density of resident cells; black arrow: inflammatory cell infiltration; red arrow: thicker synovial lining cell layers. Bar = 50 μm. The assessment was performed after the mice were sacrificed on day 49. b Histopathological assessment of synovitis in different groups. The synovitis score is the sum of the scores of the following aspects: the enlargement of the synovial cell layer, the density of resident cells, and the infiltration of inflammatory cells, with each aspect ranging from 0 to 3 points. ** represent p < 0.01 (DPSCs-Null group vs. PBS group) and * represents p < 0.05 (DPSCs-HGF group vs. PBS group)