Figure 4.

Encapsulated NGF boosts neurite branching. (a) Example (DIC channel) of two hippocampal neurons at 6.5 h post-plating in neuron-astrocyte co-culture, with the primary, secondary, and tertiary neurites as indicated (1, 2, and 3, respectively). (b) Statistics for individual neurite lengths, at various branch order, in control and in the presence of encapsulated NGF, for local (<50 µm from capsules) and non-local (>50 µm) neurons, as indicated. Dots, neurite measurements pooled for individual cells; bars, mean ± s.e.m.; * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 (two-tailed t-test). (c,d) Statistical summary for the length of primary (c) and secondary branches (d) at 6.5 h and 24 h post-plating in control and in the presence of encapsulated NGF, as indicated. Dots, individual neurite measurements; bars, mean ± s.e.m.; ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 (two-tailed t-test). (e) Statistics for the length of individual axons, as identified at 24 h post-plating, in control and in the presence of NGF-loaded microcapsules, as indicated.