Figure 6

Histopathological findings (Part 1), mechanism of host-graft interaction (Results section: Histopathological findings). At 7 DPI, the inflammatory cells infiltrated inside the implant (A). Three parts are seen. The direction of the healing response is shown (arrows). Granulation tissue is formed around the implant. The inflammatory cells are in the middle part i.e. in the necrotic area. The third part is the collagen implant and no cell is seen in this area (A). At 10 DPI, the inflammatory cells are distributed all over the implant (B). At 15 DPI, different responses to implant are seen (C). In the left side, the implant (CI) is seen with no inflammatory response around it. On the right side, edema (E), neutrophil accumulation (N) and chronic inflammation is seen (C). At 20 DPI (D&E), the remnants of the implant are present with the lied tenoblasts around them. The granulation tissue is formed around these remnants. Inflammation was subsided and the remnants acted as scaffolds and aligned the new tissue (D&E). At 30 DPI, two parts in the injured tendons could be seen (F&G). No remnant of the implant was seen and the newly regenerated immature tendon at 20 DPI (E) was matured at this stage (F&G). The remnants of the collagen implant that were seen at 20 DPI, were absorbed and substituted by the newly regenerated tissue at this stage (F&G). At 40 DPI, this description is more likely to be characteristic and the newly regenerated tissue at the center of the field is aligned along the direction of the previously regenerated more mature tendinous tissue at the corners (H). At 60 DPI, all of the collagen fibers are mature and a homogenous tendon is formed (I). (H&E, Scale Bar: A,C =125 μm, B = 90 μm, D = 25 μm, E-I =50 μm).