Fig. 1

Histology of denervated rat Achilles tendon. (a) Hematoxylin-eosin staining of the middle part of the Achilles tendon two weeks after unilateral sciatic nerve transection. The rats were allowed to move freely post-surgery. Both sides, i.e. denervated and contralateral, are shown. Bar = 20 μm. (b) Histological sections were examined in a light microscope and given a score from 0 to 3 (0 = normal, and 3 = pathological). All examined parameters were significantly increased in the denervated group compared to the contralateral healthy leg. * indicates p < 0.05, ** indicates p < 0.01. Values of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant