Figure 3

Representative images of toluidine blue-stained tissue sections. Nuclei and cytoplasm were stained bluish-purple and light blue, respectively. A: Connective tissue with unremarkable feature of rabbits undergone facial nerve fiber transection for 12 weeks (400× magnification). B: Sporadic clustering of nerve fibers and fascicles of various sizes developed in tissues of rabbits with facial nerve fiber transection and implant of NSC and HA-collagen scaffold for 12 weeks (400× magnification). C: An array of fascicles of relatively uniform size in tissues of rabbit after facial nerve fiber transection and implantation of NSC-embedded NT-3-supplemented HA-collagen composite scaffold for 12 weeks (400× magnification).