Figure 4

H&E and Alcian blue (AB) staining of native and acellular human scalp samples. The native scalp sample shows an epidermal (e) and dermal (d) layer in both the H&E and the AB staining. The AB stain indicates the presence of sulphated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the dermal layer, represented by the light blue color. The AS sample less intensive compared to the NS sample in the AB stain. In the acellular samples, the epidermis is dissolved superficial to the dermis (D). Hence, the dermal papillae (black arrow) are superficially not covered by a cell layer after acellularization. Scale bar: 25 μm.