NGF stimulates p-Akt in the peri-infarct region after ischemic stroke in rats. A. Representative Western blots of p-Akt and Akt expression on day 7 after MCAO in rats of the vehicle, NGF, and NGF + LY294002 groups. B. Bar graph shows the relative expression of p-Akt/Akt in rats of the vehicle, NGF, and NGF + LY294002 groups on day 7 after MCAO. NGF significantly increased the expression of p-Akt, and pre-treatment with LY294002 followed by NGF administration resulted in a reduction of p-Akt expression. β-actin is used as an internal standard. *P < 0.05 versus vehicle group, and #P < 0.05 versus NGF group.