Fig. 1

Collagen, elastic and reticular fibers’ composition analysis unveils altered ECM structure in iCCA tissues in respect to paired NCT (N = 9). a Representative images of NCT and iCCA histomorphological stains for collagen (Sirius Red, stained in magenta) elastic (Weigert’s, stained in purple) and reticular (Gomori’s silver impregnation, stained in black) fibers. Original Magnification (OM) = ×20. Arrowheads indicate collagen fibers (stained in brown). b Histograms shows area % of the sample occupied by tissue fibers. Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). *p < 0.05 vs. paired NCT (Wilcoxon test). c Representative images of NCT and iCCA surgical specimens before and after the decellularization. Scale bars: 5 mm. d Hematoxylin and eosin stain on NCT and iCCA samples before and after decellularization. OM = ×20. e Histograms for area % of the samples occupied by tissue fibers in NCT and iCCA ECM composition before and after decellularization (paired samples). Analyses were performed on the entire section for each specimen (at least 5 fields at ×20 magnification). Data are expressed as mean ± SD. Wilcoxon test was applied. NS = p > 0.05