Fig. 5

Morphological changes in the knee joint. Representative images of the posterior region of the knee with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain in the control group (a, d), Im group (b, e), and Im + BTX group (c, f). Higher magnification of the squared areas in a, c, and e, are shown in b, d, and f, respectively. In the control group, blood cell infiltration was hardly visible in the joint space at inferior capsule-cartilage junctions. In the Im and Im + CBX groups, comparable amounts of red blood cells were present (arrows). g Box plot showing mean values of intra-articular hemorrhage scores. Celecoxib treatment did not prevent joint hemorrhage induced by joint immobilization. ^* P < 0.05 compared with control. h Histogram showing posterior synovial lengths. Celecoxib treatment did not prevent the reduction of synovial length induced by joint immobilization. *P < 0.05 compared with control. Data are expressed as means ± SD (n = 10)