Stability of HLA-A2^- and HLA-A2⁺ chondrocyte-agarose constructs implanted in HLA-A2⁺ hu-mice.

Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&S) staining of HLA-A2- (A, B) and HLA-A2+ (C, D) human articular chondrocytes embedded in agarose hydrogels. These constructs were cultured in presence of BIT for 3 weeks in vitro then implanted in HLA-A2- hu-mice for 4 weeks. (B) and (D) show high magnifications of the zones framed by solid lines at the periphery of the implants in (A) and (C), respectively. These zones are fibrous tissues rich in fibroblasts. Black arrows indicate the presence of micro-vessels and yellow arrows the presence of giant cells composed of fused macrophages. (A, C) scale bars are 500 μm and (B, D) scale bars are 20 μm.