FIG. 2.

Axonal growth into SC and dPDN transplants. Appearance of transplants (SCs: green in A, C, and E; dPDN cells: green in B, D, and F) and appearance and quantification of the ingrowth of axons. NF⁺ axons (red in C and D) grow into both SC (C) and dPDN (D) cell grafts. No significant differences were detected in axonal length (I) or density (J) between SC and dPDN transplants. A proportion of the axons within SC (E) and dPDN cell (F) transplants are CGRP⁺ (red in E and F). The total CGRP axonal length (K), the density of CGRP fibers (L), and the percentage of total NF⁺ axons that are CGRP⁺ (M), are greater in SC transplants compared to dPDN transplants (t-test: p≤0.05). A small proportion of axons within the SC and dPDN cell transplants are 5-HT⁺ and are primarily confined to the transplant margins (red in G and H). The total 5-HT axonal length (N), density of 5-HT⁺ axons (O), and the percentage of NF⁺ axons that are 5-HT⁺ (P) are similar in SC and dPDN transplants. Boxed regions in A and B depict the approximate locations of the images shown in C–H taken from adjacent tissue sections. NF⁺ and CGRP⁺ axon images are from the transplant center. 5-HT⁺ axon images are from the transplant periphery (scale bars=500 μm in A and B; 20 μm in C–H; *p≤0.05.