Impaired Healing of a Cutaneous Wound in an Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase-Knockout Mouse

Figure 5

(a–d) Immunohistochemical observation of myofibroblasts as detected by α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA). Skin wound samples of wild type (WT) (a, b) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS-) knockout (KO) (c, d) mice indicate findings at day 6 after injury. (e) The numbers of myofibroblasts within a wound bed were enumerated on these five visual fields and analyzed. The appearance of myofibroblasts as detected by αSMA in KO mice was reduced with a statistical significance compared with WT mice at days 6 and 8 after injury. Open bars: WT, filled bars: KO (days 6, 8: animals in each group). Mean ± standard deviation. ; ; bar 10 μm.

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