Figure 1
ss-DNA-positive apoptotic cells at stage I (early myocardial infarction: a, b) and stage II (established myocardial necrosis: c–f). (a) The stage I infarct focus shows thinning and waviness of damaged myocardial fibers. Hematoxylin–eosin staining. (b) ss-DNA-positive nuclei are evident in the infarcted cardiomyocytes (arrows), which have become smaller and show condensed chromatin, indicating morphological change due to apoptosis. (c) The stage II infarct focus shows cardiomyocytes with coagulation necrosis and marked infiltration of neutrophils in the interstitium. Hematoxylin–eosin staining. (d) ss-DNA-positive cells in the noninfarcted cardiomyocytes in the border zone. The positive nuclei (arrows) have become smaller, suggesting morphological change due to apoptosis. (e) ssDNA-positive cells are absent in the infarcted focus. (f) A ss-DNA-positive cell (arrow) is evident in the infarcted cardiomyocytes.
