Figure 3

Histological analysis of the spinal cord 21 d after lesion by tionine staining. (A) Schematic drawing of the transverse spinal cord at the level of the lesion in NSC-transplanted cells animals. The green fluorescent cells transplanted by endovenous injection, and which reached the site of the lesion, are indicated in black. The lesion is represented by the central gray region. (B) Histological comparison between NSC-treated mice (left) and PBS-treated mice (right) 21 d after T8 contusion. Serial transversal cryostat sections (10 µm) were performed within a 4 mm region encompassing the site of the lesion and stained with tionine. Scale bar 500 µm. (C) Longitudinal cryostat section (10 µm) of a naïve (top), contused PBS-treated (middle), and contused NSC-treated spinal cord stained with tionine. The lesioned cord from PBS-treated mice is bent because of the lack of tissue at site of injury and, once placed in paraffin, it cannot maintain a straight alignment. This does not happen with lesioned cords of NSC-treated mice and is a further macroscopic evidence of the effect of the treatment. Scale bar 500 µm.