Fig. 9

Unaltered GFAP immunostaining in the VPL, cVPM, MD, and IL and unaltered number of GFAP/S100β-positive cells in the VPL 14 days after spinal nerve ligation. Microphotographs in A are examples of GFAP (red) and S100β (green) immunostaining as well as DAPI staining (deep blue) in the cVPL subregion in naïve, sham, and SNL animals 14 days after the beginning of the experiments. White arrows point at GFAP/S100β/DAPI-positive cells (part of the cell body appears in turquoise (green and deep blue) and is closed to at least two thick GFAP-labeled fibers). Morphometric analysis conducted on the contralateral (B1: Kruskal-Wallis test H(2) = 1.256, p = 0.5337) and ipsilateral (B2: one-way ANOVA F(2, 12) = 1.906, p = 0.1911) VPL subregion reveals that GFAP immunofluorescent surfaces are unchanged under treatment (naïve: n = 4; sham: n = 5; SNL: n = 6; 3 slices per animal). Quantification of GFAP/S100β/DAPI-positive cells in the contralateral (C1: one-way ANOVA F(2, 12) = 1.402, p = 0.2838) and ipsilateral (C2: one-way ANOVA F(2, 12) = 1.087, p = 0.3684) VPL subregion reveals no significant difference between experimental conditions. Microphotographs in D are examples of GFAP immunostaining (red) in the cVPM of naïve, sham, and SNL animals 14 days after the beginning of the experiments. Morphometric analysis reveals that the treatment does not alter the GFAP immunofluorescent surfaces in the cVPM (E: Kruskal-Wallis test H(2) = 1.148, p = 0.5634), MD (F: one-way ANOVA F(2, 12) = 1.384, p = 0.2879), and IL (G: one-way ANOVA F(2, 12) = 0.5574, p = 0.5869)