Figure 3 | Scientific Reports

Figure 3

From: Oral administration of N-acetyl cysteine prevents osteoarthritis development and progression in a rat model

Figure 3

NAC treatment inhibits osteoarthritis development in vivo. (a–c) (a) Osteoarthritis or sham surgery was performed in left or right knee joints, respectively, in 12-week-old wild-type male Wistar rats, and rats were maintained with or without NAC water (5.0 g/l) for eight weeks thereafter. Left osteoarthritis knee joint sections were then prepared and stained with rabbit anti-rat MMP13 (a) or mouse anti-rat Col II (b) followed by Alexa Fluor 546-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG or Alexa Fluor 488-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG, respectively. Nuclei were visualized by DAPI. Specimens were also stained with TUNEL, and nuclei were stained with propidium iodide (PI) (c), and observed under a fluorescence microscope. Bar, 20 μm. White dotted lines indicate joint surfaces of the tibia. Bar, 20 μm.

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