Fig. 5

Polarised light microscopy of picrosirius red stained sections (a) showed the presence of disorganised mature (polarised red/yellow staining) and immature (polarised green staining) collagen in the wounds of all groups. Scale bars 50 μm. Quantification of total collagen (b) showed no differences among groups in the absence of hADSC and in the presence of hADSC, a significantly higher total collagen was observed in injected hADSC in comparison to the sham group and the significantly lower total collagen when cells were delivered with BM sides of the MatriStem™ and XenoMEM™ groups; in comparison to the hADSC injection, all groups, but the CT side of the MatriStem™ without hADSCs, showed a significantly lower total collagen area. Mature collagen quantification (c) in the absence of hADSC revealed a significantly higher amount of mature collagen in the BM side of XenoMEM™ in comparison to sham and all groups, but the BM side of the XenoMEM™ exhibited significantly lower mature collagen area than the hADSC injection. In the presence of hADSC, the injected cells and cells delivered with Integra™ Matrix Wound Dressing, the CT side of MatriStem™ and both sides of XenoMEM™ groups had significantly higher proportion of mature collagen than the sham group. Data presented as average ± standard deviation (n = 6). Asterisk indicates a significantly (p < 0.05) lower value than the sham group, double asterisks indicate a significantly (p < 0.05) higher value than sham group and number sign indicates a significantly (p < 0.05) lower value than ADSC group