Figure 4. Depletion of peripheral monocytes does not affect neuropathic pain development.

(a) An experimental diagram showing the timeline of drug treatments, SNT surgery, immunostaining and behavioural assays to test the role of peripheral monocytes in neuropathic pain. Representative images showing that the number of Iba1-positive spinal microglia and DRG macrophages in clodronate-treated group (C57BL/6 mice; lower). Scale bar, 50 μm. (b) Statistical data showing the density of dorsal horn microglia and DRG macrophages in control (C57BL/6, no treatment) and clodronate (C57BL/6, clodronate treatment) groups at POD3 SNT (n=3 mice for each group, n=3 images for each animal). (c) Representative blood cytometry data from CX₃CR1^GFP/+ mice showing CD11b⁺CX₃CR1⁺ population at 3 days after clodronate treatment (n=3 for each group). (d) Behavioural measurements showing mechanical allodynia in clodronate (C57BL/6, clodronate treatment) and control (C57BL/6, no treatment) after SNT (data represent mean±s.e.m., n=8 for clodronate group and 7 for control group; P>0.05 for all testing points, U-test).