Fig. 6

Representative images of pathological sections of renal nerves from the sham group and RDN group at 2, 90 and 180 days after surgery. a, e, i Representative images of untreated nerves (HE staining and immunohistochemical staining for TH and S100, respectively); normal nerve fascicles surrounded by a thin perineurium and epineurium were observed in the untreated renal artery, and immunohistochemical staining for TH and S100 protein showed moderate expression. b, f, j Representative images of nerve fibers at 2 days after RDN (HE staining and immunohistochemical staining for TH and S100, respectively). A broken perineurium surrounded the atrophic renal nerve and no inflammatory component was observed; immunohistochemical staining for TH and the S100 protein showed no obvious differences from the tissue before RDN. c, g, k Representative images of nerve fibers at 90 days after RDN (HE staining and immunohistochemical staining for TH and S100, respectively). The epineurium and endoneurium are thickened and fibrosis is observed in the perineural tissue and nerve fascicles; immunohistochemical staining showed a slight decrease in TH expression and an increase in S100 expression. d, h, l Representative images of nerve fascicles at 180 days after RDN (HE staining and immunohistochemical staining against TH and S100, respectively). Some newly regenerated nerve fascicles were observed. Immunohistochemical staining for TH and S100 showed moderate expression