Fig. 5

Histological evaluation and grading of tendon repair on the basis of Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining. A Grading system for tendon healing. B Scores assigned for cellularity, vascularization, inflammation, and collagen alignment. Both the suture repair and ADM-mediated repair groups displayed significantly higher cellularity and inflammatory response, as well as less organized collagen, compared to the healthy tendon group. In contrast, the tendon ECM scaffold group exhibited no significant differences compared to the healthy tendon group regarding cellularity, vascularization, and inflammation. n = 3, biological replicates; mean ± SEM; *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; ****, p < 0.0001