Fig. 1

a–f Representative X-rays of femora of controls and sildenafil-treated mice at 2 (a, b), 5 (c, d) and 10 weeks (e, f) after surgery. Scale bars: 1 mm. g Goldberg score of controls (white bar, n = 10) and sildenafil-treated animals (black bar, n = 10) at 10 weeks after surgery, as assessed by X-ray analysis. h Bending stiffness (N/mm) of controls (white bars, n = 8 at 2 and 5 weeks, n = 10 at 10 weeks) and sildenafil-treated animals (black bars, n = 8 at 2 and 5 weeks, n = 10 at 10 weeks) at 2, 5 and 10 weeks after surgery, as assessed by biomechanical analysis. Mean ± SEM; *p < 0.05 vs. control