Fig. 4.

Localization of injection site and effect of ginsenoside Rf (G-Rf) on expression of neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and Ki-67 in the prefrontal cortex. (A, B) Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining showed the proper location of the injection sites. In every group, stained tissue adjacent to the implanted site did not reveal a prominent extent of necrosis compared with the sham control group. (C, D) Effect of G-Rf on NeuN expression in the prefrontal cortex. NeuN expression did not significantly differ between groups after L-AAA treatment. (E, F) Effect of G-Rf on GFAP expression in the prefrontal cortex. After L-AAA treatment, GFAP extremely diminished, but oral administration of G-Rf (20 mg/kg) reversed astrocyte degeneration, making the GFAP expression of G-Rf group similar to that of the sham control group. (G, H) Effect of G-Rf on Ki-67 expression in the prefrontal cortex. After L-AAA injection, proliferative cells diminished, but G-Rf protected loss of proliferative cells. Representative results from H&E staining and immunohistochemistry and quantitative analysis are shown. All values are expressed as the mean ± SEM. #p < 0.05 significantly different from sham control group (Sham); *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01, significantly different from vehicle-treated group (Veh). Calibration bars for (A), 200 μm; for (B), 100 μm; and for (C), (E), and (G), 50 μm. L-AAA, L-alpha-aminoadipic acid; SEM, standard error of mean.