Fig. 1

HGF-induced promotion of vascularization, suppression of microglial activation, and proliferation of endogenous NSCs in acute SCI. a Experimental design for analyzing microenvironmental changes in acute SCI. b Analysis of cell activation by rhHGF around the lesion site at 2 days after SCI by immunocytochemical staining of c-Met, pc-Met, and ELAVL3/4 in axial sections. Scale bars, 20 μm. c Representative images of axial sections stained for RECA-1 at the lesion epicenter and 2 mm rostral and caudal sites in each group at 7 days after SCI. Scale bars: 50 and 20 μm (enlarged images). d Quantification of the RECA-1⁺area in axial sections at each level. n = 5 each. *p < .05 according to the Mann‒Whitney U test. e Experimental design for analyzing the proliferation of Iba1⁺ microglia, GFAP⁺ astrocytes, and GFAP⁺SOX2⁺ NSCs. f Representative images of axial sections stained for Iba1 and EdU at the lesion epicenter in each group at 7 days after SCI. Arrowheads show examples of various forms of Iba1⁺ microglia. Scale bars: 50 μm. g Quantification of Iba1⁺ cells in axial sections. n = 5 each. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 according to one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey–Kramer test. h Quantification of Iba1⁺EdU⁺ cells in axial sections. n = 5 each. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 according to the Mann‒Whitney U test. i Representative images of axial sections stained for GFAP⁺, SOX2⁺, and EdU⁺ cells at the lesion epicenter in each group at 7 days after SCI. Scale bar: 50 μm. j, k Quantification of GFAP⁺SOX2⁺ and GFAP⁺SOX2⁺EdU⁺ cells in axial sections. n = 5 each. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 according to one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey–Kramer test. l Quantification of GFAP⁺ cells in axial sections. n = 5 each. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 according to the Mann‒Whitney U test. In all graphs, the data are presented as the mean ± SEM. n.d.; not detected