Fig. 4From: Targeted designed variants of alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) attenuate cartilage degeneration in a rat model of osteoarthritis induced by anterior cruciate ligament transectionIntra-articular injection of wild-type alpha-2-macroglobulin (wt-A2M) and its variants CYT-98 and CYT-108 leads to a thinner synovial membrane. a Hematoxylin/eosin staining indicates the synovium depicted with 1–2 cell layers of synoviocytes in the sham animals. Synovial hyperplasia is seen in the PBS-treated animals with the thicker synovial membranes, whereas the animals treated with A2M and its variants had thinner synovial membranes compared with the PBS-treated animals. Semi-quantified data are shown (b). #Compared with anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) + PBS, P < 0.05; *compared with sham, P < 0.05; &compared with ACLT + A2M, P < 0.05; €compared with ACLT + 98-2-L, P <0.05; βcompared with ACLT + 98-2-H, P < 0.05; αcompared with ACLT + 108-2-L, P < 0.05Back to article page