Fig. 3From: Intra-articular Adenosine, Lidocaine and Magnesium (ALM) solution decreases postoperative joint fibrosis in an experimental knee implant modelALM reduces fibrosis in joint capsular tissue following knee implant surgery. Four weeks after knee implant surgery, animals were sacrificed and anteromedial capsular tissue dissected from operated and non-operated knees. Remaining intact knee joints were decalcified and processed for histology. a Representative stained section of the medial joint capsule (upper panels: hematoxylin and eosin; magnification, × 40; middle and lower panels: α-SMA, magnification, × 100 and × 400) from non-operated, operated saline-treated and ALM-treated knees. b Thickness of the medial joint capsule (black bar) was measured. At 4 weeks post-surgery, medial capsule thickness was significantly reduced in operated knees of ALM-treated animals, compared to saline controls. c Compared to saline controls, blood vessel density was significantly lower in medial joint capsular tissue from ALM-treated animals. d α-SMA staining was also significantly reduced in ALM-treated animals compared to controls. e Similarly, mRNA expression of α-SMA (Acta2) was significantly reduced in joint capsular tissue from ALM-treated animals, compared to controls. f Protein and g gene expression of TGF-β1 was also lower in the joint capsule of knees from ALM-treated animals. Data are expressed as mean ± SD. Data shows mean ± SD, *P < 0.05, vs. baseline (no surgery, no treatment), #P < 0.05, compared to saline controls; n = 6 per groupBack to article page