Fig. 7

Specific inhibition of PDGFR-β in ECs attenuates OA development. a Confocal images (upper) with the magnified area (bottom) in the boxed area in the upper image of H-type vessels (merge: yellow; endomucin: green; CD31: red) and LepR⁺ cells (left part, white) and Nestin⁺ cells (right part, white) in the subchondral bone from the sham, ACLT + AAV control and ACLT + AAV rats at 8 weeks post-ACLT. Scale bar, bottom 50 µm; top 100 µm. Quantification of subchondral H-type vessel volume (b) and LepR⁺ cells (c) and Nestin⁺ cells (d) from the sham, ACLT + AAV control and ACLT + AAV rats at 8 weeks post-ACLT. n = 5. μCT images of medial subchondral bone (e) and quantitative analysis of BV/TV (f), Tb.pf (g), SBP.Th (h), and Tb.N (i) from the sham, ACLT + AAV control and ACLT + AAV rats at 8 weeks post-ACLT. n = 5. Scale bar, 500 µm. (j) SOFG (upper) with the magnified area (bottom) in the boxed area in the upper image of articular cartilage from the sham, ACLT + AAV control, and ACLT + AAV rats at 8 weeks post-ACLT; proteoglycan (red) and bone (green). Scale bar, bottom 50 µm; top 100 µm. k OARSI-modified Mankin scores of articular cartilage in sham, ACLT + AAV control, and ACLT + AAV rats at 8 weeks post-ACLT. n = 5. Sham = sham controls; ACLT + AAV control = AAV control-treated ACLT rats; ACLT + AAV = AAV for silencing endothelial PDGFR-β-treated ACLT rats; *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01 compared to the ACLT + AAV control group. ^#P < 0.05 and ^##P < 0.01 compared to the sham group