Fig. 2

Effect of sildenafil citrate on the cortical infarct volumes and tissue loss measured 72 h and 8 days after pMCAo, respectively. Sildenafil citrate was given after pMCAo by a single intraperitoneal injection either with PBS or 0.5, 2.5, 10, and 15 mg/kg sildenafil. a Cortical lesion at 72 h. b Tissue loss at 8 days. Horizontal bar represents the mean. Note that the 15 mg/kg dose is toxic by increasing the infarct volume. Each dot represents one animal. Data were assessed via an ANOVA, and when significant the results of the Newman-Keuls post-test are shown, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 sildenafil dose vs PBS