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Fig. 3 | Stem Cell Research & Therapy

Fig. 3

From: The role of hepatocyte growth factor in mesenchymal stem cell-induced recovery in spinal cord injured rats

Fig. 3

The biological effects of BMSC-CM and HGF were diminished with a function-blocking c-Met antibody. a, i The pre-treatment of c-Met antibodies reduced the proportion of neurons and increased the proportion of astrocytes in the presence of BMSC-CM or HGF. b, j The SCI rats, that received c-Met antibody treatment, lost the neurite outgrowth and exhibited a large scar boundary formed around the cavity with the BMSC-CM or HGF treatments (SCI rats treated with DMEM/F12 served as the control and revealed in Fig. 1b). c, k In vitro, the mediation of BMSC-CM and HGF on the p-Smad 1/5/8 signaling pathway was mainly reversed by the pretreatment with c-Met antibodies (n = 3). d, l The p-Smad 1/5/8 expressions in the SCI rats increased with the treatment of the c-Met antibodies when compared to the BMSC-CM- or HGF-alone-treated rats (n = 3). Meanwhile, the BMP4 expressions were not altered by the treatment of c-Met antibodies in the BMSC-CM- or HGF-treated SCI rats (n = 3). e, m The BMSCM-CM and HGF lost their effect on mediating the inflammation in SCI rats with the treatment of the c-Met antibodies (n = 3). The cavity volume (f, n, n = 3) and Caspase-3 expression (g, o, n = 3) increased with worsening BBB scores (h, p, n = 12) in c-Met antibody and BMSC-CM/HGF co-treatment rats when compared to the BMSC/CM- or HGF-treated rats. *p < 0.05, #p > 0.05; error bars, s.d; scale bars, 100 μm in a, b, i, j; 250 μm in f, n; Western blot bands are revealed in Fig. 4; the data of cell counting, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, hematoxylin-eosin staining, cavity volume and BBB scores in the BMSC-CM-treated and HGF-treated rats are also revealed in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively

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