Experimental Study on the Effect of Allogeneic Endothelial Progenitor Cells on Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

Figure 6

Histological analyses comparing EPC-treated groups and the control group. (a) Histological photomicrographs of the wounds (H&E staining) in the DB/DB EPC-treated, DB/+ EPC-treated, and the control groups (×40). Extensive reepithelialization, thicker granulation tissue, and many functional erythrocyte-containing vessels were observed in the EPC-treated groups. The histological scores of DB/+ and DB/DB EPC-treated wounds were significantly higher than those of control wounds on day 7, while there was no difference between the two EPC-treated groups. (b) Visualization and quantification of mature collagen by Masson staining. Fourteen and 17 days after treatment, high-density, dense, and strongly stained collagen fibers were observed in the EPC treatment groups; the percentage of mature collagen was calculated by measuring the blue pixelated regions (×40). When the DB/+ EPC-treated group was compared with the control group, and ; when the DB/DB EPC-treated group was compared with the control group, ^# and ^##.

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