Fig. 6: Evaluation of NGO-crosslinked scaffolds on day 60 after transplantation.

Gross images (a) and the box plot (b) showing cross-sectional area of scaffold remnants harvested on day 60 in each group. In each box plot, the center line indicates the median, the edges of the box indicate the 25th and 75th percentile, and the whiskers indicate the 10th and 90th percentile (n = 5). c H&E staining of scaffold remnants on day 60 in each group (I: Implanted scaffolds, S: Surrounding tissues) and magnified images. Scale bar, 200 µm. d Representative confocal images of the implants probed with neutrophil (red) and DAPI (blue). Scale bar, 100 µm. e Quantification of infiltrating neutrophils in each group (n = 5). f Global cytokine analysis of the serum samples collected from the mice receiving each implant and sham mice on day 60, and quantification of pixel density of the spots corresponding to IL-1a, IL-16, M-CSF and TNF-α (n = 2). g Immunofluorescence analysis of the implants harvested on day 60. M1 (CCR7, iNOS; red), M2 (CD206, CD163; red) markers, pan-macrophage marker (F4/80; green), and DAPI (blue). Scale bar, 200 µm. h Quantification of detected M1 and M2 macrophages normalized to F4/80⁺ cells (n = 5). i Ratio of M1⁺ cells to M2⁺ cells within the implants (n = 5). qRT-PCR analysis of M1 (j) and M2c (k) -related genes in each group on day 60 (n = 3). l Schematic diagram of pivotal roles of nano-graphene oxide (NGO) in the events following transplantation of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) scaffolds. Quantitative data were presented as a mean ± SD. Statistical differences between the groups were determined by ordinary one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey test (***p < 0.001 versus CTL, ^##p < 0.01, ^###p < 0.001 versus GA, ^$$$p < 0.001, ns; not statistically significant). Source data are provided as a Source Data file.