Figure 3

Human NSC transplantation reduces proinflammatory gene expression. (A) Reduced inflammatory marker expression in the ipsilesional hemisphere of hNSC-transplanted MCAO/R brains. Expression of inflammatory genes was measured by RT-PCR and normalized to that of GAPDH. Transcript levels of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and cell adhesion molecules, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, are elevated in MCAO/R brains and downregulated in MCAO/R + hNSC-transplanted brains compared with MCAO/R brains. **P <0.01, ***P <0.001 versus sham mice; ^##P <0.01, ^###P <0.001 versus MCAO/R mice. (B) Chemokines MCP-1 and MIP-1α are dramatically elevated in the ipsilesional hemisphere 48 hours post-MCAO/R and significantly downregulated in hNSC-transplanted brains. **P <0.01, ***P <0.001 versus sham mice; ^##P <0.01, ^###P <0.001 versus MCAO/R mice. All data are expressed as mean ± SEM (n = 5). MCAO/R, middle cerebral artery occlusion with reperfusion; NSC, neural stem cells; SEM, standard error of the mean; Tx, transplantation.