Fig. 2

hIgG crosses the BSCB at 24 h post-SCI. The presence of hIgG in the spinal cord was determined in order to evaluate if it is associated with the immunomodulatory effects of hIgG after SCI. a Western blot was performed to determine the levels of hIgG in the spinal cord after different treatments. b Relative to control buffer and hIgG (0.4 g/kg), high-dose hIgG (1 and 2 g/kg) administered at 15 min post-SCI increased the hIgG levels in the injured spinal cord at 24 h post-SCI. c Western blot results are complemented with immunohistochemistry, as in the representative fluorescence images there is a stronger staining of hIgG in the spinal cords treated with hIgG (2 g/kg) as compared to hIgG (0.4 g/kg) and control buffer. d The blood vessels (LEA), neutrophils (PMN), microglia (Iba-1), and astrocytes (GFAP) are stained green, pericytes (NG2 green, PDGFR-β: fuchsia), and hIgG are stained red. Confocal images (× 120) demonstrate that hIgG crosses the compromised BSCB in injured animals. Representative images demonstrate hIgG in the vicinity of resident microglia and neutrophils, but hIgG colocalizes with the hIgG, astrocytes, pericytes, and blood vessels. For both c and d, a hIgG-positive signal was not observed in the spinal cord of rats injected with control buffer. d Scale bars represent 10 μm in length