FIGURE 5.

NDRG2 potential therapeutic effects in ischemic brain edema. (a) Quantification of brain water content in cortices isolated from Ndrg2 ^GFAP cKO mice injected with NDRG2‐overexpressing lentivirus (LV‐N2) to rescue NDRG2 expression in astrocytes and control virus (LV‐Con) in sham groups and MCAO groups. Data are shown as the mean ± SD (n = 5–6). *p < .05 versus sham mice, ^# p < .05 versus control mice. (b) Representative transmission electron micrographs showing the swollen perivascular astrocytic end‐feet area (blue area) in the NDRG2‐rescued group (bottom) and control group (top). A: astrocyte end‐feet; B: basal lamina; E: endothelial cell; L: lumen. Scale bar = 2 μm. (c) Astrocyte end‐feet area‐to‐capillary lumen perimeter ratio. Data are shown as the mean ± SD (n = 5–6). **p < .01 versus sham mice, ^## p < .01 versus control mice. (d) Representative images of coronal sections from mice that underwent MCAO after injection of Evans blue dye; fluorescence‐positive areas in NDRG2‐rescued group (bottom) and control group (top) observed by microscopy. Scale bar = 500 μm. (e) Percent of the area on the contralateral side positive for Evans blue staining. Data are shown as the mean ± SD (n = 8). ^## p < .01 versus control group. (f) The 10‐kDa molecular weight tracer was confined to vessels in the sham mice, whereas it leaked out of the vessels (white arrowheads) in the penumbra of the mice that underwent MCAO. Green, CD31; red, tracer. Scale bar = 10 μm. (g) Quantification of tracer fluorescence density (INT/mm²). **p < .01 versus sham group, ^## p < .01 versus control group [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]