FIG. 2.

Effects of MSCs on infarct volume. (A, B) Infarct volumes were determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 24 h post-middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) immediately before treatment with hMSCs or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and after the treatment on days 7 and 14 post-MCAO (n=6 for monolayer or 3D hMSC group; n=5 for PBS group). Representative images of MRI were shown. White areas on the left side represent the infarcts (A). No statistical differences in infarct volume were found among the three groups 24 h after MCAO before the treatment (B). Significant reductions in infarct volume were found in 3D spheroid hMSC–treated rats 7 and 14 days after MCAO, *P<0.05, **P<0.01. (C, D) 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride stain of coronal sections of the brain for infarct size. Representative images of brain sections at 14 days post-MCAO were shown. Infarcts are shown as pale (unstained) regions that involve the striatum and cortex (C). Infarct area in each section was measured, and infarct volume in each brain was calculated, which was presented as infarct volume per volume of the entire cerebral hemisphere [(D), n=6 in mono and 3D MSC groups, n=5 in PBS group, *P<0.05, **P<0.01]. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/scd