Histochemical and Molecular Characterization of Spongiosal Cells in Native Tissue, Two- and Three-Dimensional Cultures of Rat Aortic Valve

Figure 1

(a) (i) Layout of all valves in the rat valvular plate: AV: aortic valve, PV: pulmonary valve, BV: bicuspid valve, TV: tricuspid valve (scale bar represents 3 mm); (ii) schematic representation of the anatomy of AV; (iii) arrangement of leaflets in the AV in its closed form (scale bar represents 2 mm); and (iv) arrangement of leaflets in the AV in its open form (scale bar represents 2 mm). (b) Orientation of AV leaflets for serial sectioning.

(a)

(b)