Fig. 1

Il10 deficiency leads to increased infarct sizes, enhanced brain atrophy, and poorer long-term outcome following tMCAO. MRI was used to quantify infarct volume at day 3 (A) and cortical atrophy volume at day 14 (C) after tMCAO in WT control and Il10^−/− mice (representative T2 image). B Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used for the evaluation of infarct volume at day 7 (representative TTC brain slices). D Composite neurological score was performed on day 14 after tMCAO. E Il10/GFP-positive cells were visualized in the penumbra area of the ischemic hemisphere by GFP counterstaining in FIR-tiger mice 14 days after tMCAO (green, Il10/GFP-positive cells; red, CD45-positive cells; blue, 40,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole nuclear staining; scale bar 20 µm). Infarct data are presented as mean ± SEM of 8–10 WT and 6–10 Il10^−/− mice (A, B), atrophy data as mean ± SEM of 11 WT and 13 Il10^−/− mice (C), and neurological score of 12 WT and 11 Il10^−/− mice (D). Statistical significances were analyzed by Student t test (A–C) and Mann–Whitney U test (D). *P < 0.05 and ***P < 0.001