Fig. 4

MSCs alleviated neutrophil infiltration and inflammatory cytokine expression following transient MCAO. a The relative mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α normalized to GAPDH was measured at days 1 and 3 following MCAO. They were significantly decreased in the MSC-treated group compared to the PBS group at day 3; however, only IL-1β was significant at day 1. b MPO+ cells and their quantification in the PBS- and MSC-transplanted mice at 1 and 3 days following MCAO. In ischemic hemisphere, there were less MPO⁺ cells per field in MSC-transplanted group than PBS group, which represented less neutrophil adhesion and infiltration. Scale bar = 100 μm. c Bar graph showed the MPO activity in sham and PBS- and MSC-treated mice. Data are mean ± SD, n = 5–6 per group. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001