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Figure 2. (A) Time-course changes in the amount of tooth movement and the number of osteoclasts induced by experimental tooth movement with or without rhVEGF injection. First, 0.5 µg rhVEGF was injected into the experimental groups every other week. PBS was injected into the control groups every other week. These mice were killed 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after the experiment was initiated. The rate of experimental tooth movement had three phases in the experimental group, and the second phase in this group was shorter than that in controls. Meanwhile, significant differences in the numbers of osteoclasts were found between these two groups. * p < 0.05; n = 5. Frontal sections (7 µm thick) of the midpalatal suture stained with hematoxylin. The mean width of the midpalatal suture was about 60 µm on day 0 (B). The mean width of the midpalatal suture was about 105 µm on day 21 (C). On day 21, the mean amount of sutural expansion was about 46.0 µm. S, midpalatal suture; PB, premaxillary bone. Bar = 40 µm.
