Fig. 7: XJB-5-131 (XJB), a novel mitochondria-targeted ROS, electron, and radical scavenger, reduced tissue damage and improved behavioral recovery after a contusive SCI.

A–F Representative sections show the lesion epicenter stained with cresyl violet and eosin (A–C) or with Luxol fast blue (D–F). XJB treatment (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced lesion area by 21.2% (A–C, G, **P < 0.01), increased white matter (WM) sparing by 30.0% (A–C, H, **P < 0.01), enhanced myelin sparing by 46.4% (D–F, I, **P < 0.01), and reduced lesion volume by 33.8% (A–C, J, **P < 0.01). Bar = 500 μm. G–J Student t test, (n = 10 rats/group). K Administration of XJB significantly improved Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scores up to 6 weeks post-SCI in adult rats. **P < 0.01 vs vehicle-treated groups (Repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni’s multiple comparisons test, n = 10 rats/group). L XJB significantly reduced foot falls at 3 and 5 weeks post-injury. **P < 0.01 (Repeated measures ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test, n = 4–10 rats/group). M XJB treatment significantly reduced residual urine in the urinary bladder at 2 weeks post-SCI. **P < 0.01 (One-way ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test, n = 4–6 rats/group). N–Q XJB-5-131 also significantly increased stride lengths (N), decreased stride width (O), paw rotation angles (P), and base of support (Q) in the foot print analysis at 6 weeks post-injury as compared to the vehicle-treated SCI. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 (one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparisons test, n = 4–10 rats/group). In G–Q, error bars represent mean ± standard error of the mean.