Fig. 3

Role of OCT in ice crystal artefact formation in skeletal muscle tissue. a Schematic representation illustrating the skeletal muscle structure with highlighted regions depicting the edge and belly, showcasing the differential surface-area-to-volume ratio in contact with OCT. (created in BioRender); b-c Sections obtained from the edge and belly regions, respectively, with a comparison between core and periphery; d Cross-sectional view of skeletal muscle tissue revealing a gradient in ice crystal formation from the periphery towards the core; e Quantitative analysis demonstrating the area occupied by ice crystals in the core and periphery of both edge and belly regions. Scale bar = 100 µm. Graphs display mean (SD); n = 4 ROIs each for core and periphery, repeated across edges and bellies of 2 biological replicates (*** = p value ≤ 0.001; ** = p value ≤ 0.01; ns = p value > 0.05; analysed using Mann Whitney U test); E: Edge; B: Belly