Figure 5.

Homed BM‐derived Sca‐1⁺ cells prevented retinal injury through activation of FGF2 pathway. BM Sca‐1⁺ and Sca‐1⁻ cells from young GFP (green fluorescent protein, green, 2 × 10⁶) mice were used to reconstitute irradiated old wild‐type mice, generating Sca‐1⁺ and Sca‐1⁻ chimaeras. Acute ischaemia‐reperfusion (I/R) injury was induced 12 weeks later. (A‐G) The expression profiles of growth factors in the retinas of Sca‐1⁺ and Sca‐1⁻ chimaeras with or without ischaemia‐reperfusion (I/R) injury were determined by RT‐qPCR. The mRNA levels of FGF2 (fibroblast growth factor 2), IGF‐1 (insulin‐like growth factor 1) and CNTF (ciliary neurotrophic factor) were significantly higher in Sca‐1⁺ than Sca‐1⁻ chimaeras. (H‐I) FGF2 protein expression, as assessed by Western blot, was significantly higher in the retinas of Sca‐1⁺ than Sca‐1⁻ chimaeras 3 days after I/R injury. NGF: nerve growth factor, SCF: stem cell factor, NDNF: neuron‐derived neurotrophic factor. n = 4/group; Data analysis used two‐way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post‐hoc tests for multiple comparisons (A‐G and I). Data shown are mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01