Figure 6.

Effects of SHINBARO on the expression of neurotrophic factors in the LSS rat model. (a) The mRNA expression of BDNF in spinal cord tissues was determined by real-time RT-PCR. Total RNA was isolated and further analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. The results were normalized using β-actin as an internal control. The data are expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 4). (b) Immunohistochemical analysis of BDNF in the spinal cord. (c) Expression of pro-BDNF and BDNF in spinal cord tissues was investigated by western blot analysis. β-Actin was used as an internal control. (c) Immunostaining analysis of BDNF-positive cells in the spinal cord. (d) Expression of MEK, p-MEK, ERK, p-ERK, and p-CREB in spinal cord tissues was investigated by western blot analysis. β-Actin was used as an internal control. Relative intensity of indicated proteins was semiquantified using the NIH ImageJ software.