Figure 1

The upper panels show the measurements of the total growth plate (black square), proliferative zone (white square) and hypertrophic zone (gray square) after 2 weeks (left panel) and after 4 weeks (right panel) in Rapamycin and Control groups, expressed in micrometers. The lower panels show the corresponding photomicrographs of the growth plate cartilage in all groups, 30×. Note the increase in the zone occupied by hypertrophic chondrocytes in the 2 weeks Rapamycin group (left panel). The solid brackets denote the layer of proliferating chondrocytes and the dashed brackets indicate the hypertrophic zone; ^ap < 0.001 Rapamycin (2 weeks) vs Control (2 weeks); ^bp < 0.002 Rapamycin (2 weeks) vs Rapamycin (4 weeks).