Fig. 4

Pathological characteristics of osteoarthritis (OA) model rats (N = 6). A Representative images of hematoxylin & eosin (HE; Amplification: 200 ×, Scale: 100 µm). B Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scores of articular cartilages. C Respresentative images of safranin O staining (Amplification: 200 ×, Scale: 100 µm). D Immunohistochemistry of cartilage sections from different groups (Amplification: 200 ×, Scale: 100 μm). Solid arrows show cartilage destruction. E Inflammatory factors levels of serum, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). ^**p < 0.01