Therapeutic effects of cell transplantation. Longitudinal coronal T2-weighed images (a) show a less pronounced hypointense area within 6-week follow-up representing cell grafts in the striatum of animals that were grafted with ASP-SPIONs-labeled cells. Only a black, linear signal representing needle track is observed in the striatum in animals treated with unlabeled cells or PBS. Graph (b) shows the measured infarct volumes are similar in rats grafted with ASP-SPIONs-labeled cells and unlabeled cells, which are slightly lower than rats treated with PBS, though no significant difference was found among three groups (p > 0.05). Graph (c) shows the modified neurological severity scores (mNSS) in rats that were transplanted with ASP-SPIONs-labeled cells, unlabeled cells, and PBS. There is a similar therapeutic effect between label cells and unlabeled cells. * p < 0.05.