Fig. 5
Oil granuloma extracellular matrix distribution and ultrastructure analysis. ECM could be observed in both WT and gal-3−/− animals through trichrome staining (a and b, respectivelly), despite decreased in the absence of gal-3. Inserts represent the deconvolution of images to evidence the collagen fibers in blue. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed and confirmed these data. In WT mice a large amount of collagen fibers (c and e, closed black arrows) were observed in many directions. In gal-3−/− animals oil granulomas presented lots of cell debris and dispersed ECM throughout the parenchyma (d, closed white arrow). Compared to WT granulomas, the structures formed in the absence of gal-3 presented great reduction of collagen fibers (f, closed black arrows)