Figure 4.

Neural stem cell–derived extracellular vesicle (NSC EV) treatment results in increased motor activity and improved recovery of spatiotemporal gait parameters. Ethovision XT tracking software was used during open-field testing to automatically assess differences in distance traveled between treatment groups; representative 10-min movement tracings shown for control (A, blue) and NSC EV treated (A, green) pigs. Control pigs experienced a significant decrease in distance traveled at 7-days post-middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) while treated pigs did not. Both groups increased distance traveled over 28 days; however, treated pigs traveled significantly further than their pre-MCAO distance while control pigs did not. At 1-day post-MCAO, NSC EV–treated and control pigs exhibited significant decreases in temporal gait parameters, including velocity, cadence, and swing percent pigs (B). By 7-days post-MCAO, NSC EV–treated pigs recovered these parameters while control pigs did not recover until 28 days. At 28 days, the NSC EV–treated pigs performed significantly better in velocity, cadence, and swing percent than control pigs. Differences in spatial gait parameters were also noted between NSC EV–treated and control pigs in terms of stride length, hoof print area, and relative pressure (C). By 7-days post-MCAO, NSC EV–treated pigs had recovered from deficits in stride length, hoof print area, and relative pressure, whereas control pigs remained impaired. In addition, NSC EV–treated pigs performed significantly better in terms of stride length when compared with control pigs at the same time point. *, #Significant (P<0.01) difference between pre- and post-MCAO time points. a indicates significant (P<0.01) difference between treatment groups.