FIG. 9.

Rolipram-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-graft-polyethylenimine (Rm-PgP) reduces inflammatory cell accumulation after compression spinal cord injury (SCI). Rm-PgP (10 μg Rm) was injected immediately after clip compression injury. At 3 days post-injection, spinal cords were explanted, embedded, sectioned, and stained for ED1+ microglia/macrophages (red) and nuclei (blue). Sham and untreated SCI animal groups were used for comparison. (A) Representative images of immunostaining for ED1 in longitudinally sectioned spinal cord (0.5 cm-long piece from the center of the injury). Scale bar indicates 500 μm. Top: sham. Middle: untreated SCI. Bottom: Rm-PgP–treated SCI rats. (B) Representative images of ED1+ cells in the spinal cord at the lesion epicenter, 2 and 4 mm rostral and caudal. Scale bar indicates 50 μm. Top: sham. Middle: untreated SCI. Bottom: Rm-PgP–treated SCI animals. (C) The % ED1+ cells was quantified from a total of 18 different sections of spinal cords from each group (six sections/rat, three rats/group). *p < 0.05, compared with untreated SCI. Color image is available online at www.liebertpub.com/neu