Fig. 2

HGF exerted similar effects as BMSC-CM in SCI rats. a HGF was able to diminish the effects of BMP4 on the differentiation of NSCs after 7 days of co-culturing. This effect is concentration dependent (n = 5). b A thinner scar boundary and neurite outgrowth was observed in the rats that received HGF. Higher Map-2 expression and lower GFAP expression in the injured lesion (proven by Western blot) were found when compared to the control rats (SCI rats treated with DMEM/F12) (n = 3). c P-Smad 1/5/8 expression was inhibited by the treatment of HGF in the NSCs co-cultured with 20 ng/ml BMP4 (n = 3). d In the SCI rats, the treatment of HGF reduced the p-Smad 1/5/8 expression during the early phases following the onset of SCI (n = 3). Meanwhile, the alteration to the BMP4 expression was only observed at day 5 (n = 3). Through the downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression and the upregulation anti-inflammatory cytokine expression (e, n = 5), HGF decreased the cavity volume (f, n = 3) and Caspase-3 expression (g, n = 3) and promoted functional recovery (h, n = 12) in the SCI rats. i ELISA (n = 5) and Western blot (n = 3) confirmed that BMSC-CM was able to secret HGF in all samples. *p < 0.05, ^#p > 0.05; error bars, s.d; scale bars, 100 μm in a, b; 250 μm in f; Western-blot bands revealed in Fig. 4; the data of cell counting, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, hematoxylin-eosin staining, cavity volume, and BBB scores in the control rats are also revealed in Fig. 1