Figure 7.

Tuftsin and benztropine improve remyelination in the cuprizone model. Mice were fed chow containing 0.2% cuprizone for 5 weeks. At week 4, mini-osmotic pumps containing saline, tuftsin alone, or both tuftsin and benztropine were inserted subcutaneously. Mice were reverted to standard chow to allow for 1 week of spontaneous remyelination in saline-treated animals (A). At 5 weeks before withdrawal of cuprizone, a subset of mice were collected to assure demyelination in the corpus callosum with EC staining (B). After 1 week of cuprizone withdrawal, saline-, tuftsin-, or combo-treated mice were collected and EC stain was used to evaluate degree of remyelination in the corpus callosum (C). The optical density of the EC stain was calculated using ImageJ (D). To visualize mature OLs, GST-π immunoreactivity (green) was examined (E). Number of GST-π⁺ cells per field were quantified and plotted in (F). Data are mean ± SEM. n = 2 (for 5 weeks cuprizone) – 3. Comparisons are between saline, tuftsin, and combo-treated mice. *p < 0.05 compared to control. ^##p < 0.01 compared to tuftsin.