Figure 3

Early post-traumatic inhibition of AQP4 and HIF-1α markedly alleviated TBI-induced neurological functional deficits in long term learning and memory. In the water maze test, rats were placed in a large circular pool filled with opaque water and were given the task to swim to a platform that can be either visible or hidden. (A) Before TBI, the swimming distance per minute of rats in each group showed no significant difference. TBI rats were intravenously injected via the tail vein with 0.25 ml isotonic saline containing AQP4 antibodies (1 μg/kg of body weight) or 2-ME2 (2.5 mg/kg of body weight) within 30–60 min after impact, the corresponding controls were injected with IgG and isotonic saline, respectively. The Morris water maze tests were performed and the escape latency (B) and searching time (C) were investigated at the indicated time points, such as shown on the 21st day post-TBI in (D,E). Data represent mean ± SEM, n = 6 per group. The comparisons among groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with the LSD method. *P < 0.05, between the two groups. ns non-significant.