Fig. 9: Hydrogel FBR alters molecular delivery of NGF and wound healing in CNS stroke injury.
a Schematic summarizing experimental paradigm. b, c Images showing cholinergic (ChAT-positive) neurons in striatal stroke at 1 week after hydrogel (G) injection. d Quantification of mean cholinergic neuron size ipsilateral and contralateral to stroke and hydrogel injection. ***P < 0.0001 for hydrogels versus L-NIO only and not significant (NS) between hydrogels ipsilaterally, *P = 0.0179 (L-NIO), = 0.0317 (DCHK) and = 0.004 (DCHMM) versus DCHMO contralaterally. e Quantification of cholinergic neuron number in striatum ipsilateral and contralateral to stroke and hydrogel injection at 1 week. *P = 0.0192, **P = 0.0027, ***P = 0.0002 versus DCHMO ipsilaterally, NS between all samples in contralateral striatum. f Quantification of mean ChAT intensity in neuropil ipsilateral and contralateral to stroke and hydrogel injection, *P = 0.0442 (DCHK), = 0.0203 (DCHMM), ***P < 0.0001 (L-NIO) versus DCHMO ipsilaterally, NS between all samples in contralateral striatum. g PC1 score for L-NIO only and hydrogels for PCA comparing all ChAT-neuron parameters. Positive direction represents increased ChAT responsiveness to NGF delivery, ***P < 0.0001, **P = 0.0011, NS versus L-NIO only, *P = 0.0404 and ***P = 0.0004 for DCHK and DCHMM versus DCHMO, respectively. h, i Images showing altered phenotypes of CD13-positive lesion cores (LC), astrocyte border, and preserved neural tissue of striatal strokes at 1 week after hydrogel injections. j CD13-positive cell intensity plots measured radially from the center of the stroke lesion. Data are mean ± s.e.m, with s.e.m. represented as light shaded banded areas. Location of astrocyte (GFAP) border is maximum of mean GFAP intensity plot for L-NIO only. The integral of plot to left and right of GFAP border is total CD13 in lesion and hydrogel FBR respectively. k, l Quantification of total CD13-positive cells in lesion k and FBR l, NS, and ***P < 0.0001 versus L-NIO only, *P = 0.0173 for DCHMO versus DCHK. Baseline in l. is mean total CD13 in L-NIO only. m Quantification of percentage neuropil remaining following stroke and hydrogel treatment in immunohistochemistry sections at center of lesion, ***P < 0.0001, *P = 0.0385 and NS versus L-NIO only. For all graphs, data are mean ± s.e.m. with superimposed individual data points showing n = 8 mice per group. Statistical analysis using one (g, k, l, m) or two-way d–f ANOVA with Bonferroni.
