Fig. 4

CD8⁺ T lymphocytes depletion is crucial for the reduction of ischemic brain injury in perioperative stroke mice. A Flowchart illustrates the experimental design. Three days before tMCAO, C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with 100 μg InVivoMAb anti-mouse CD8α antibody or 100 μg Rat IgG2b (isotype antibody). B Representative dot plots of flow cytometry of CD8⁺ T cells in the spleen after CD8⁺ T lymphocytes depletion. C, D Representative and quantification of TTC staining in 6 consecutive coronal sections (1 mm apart) 3 days after stroke (n = 6–7/group). E Representative images of brain tissue with Tunel staining or NeuN staining in the ischemic penumbra 7 days after stroke. Red arrows signify the injured neurons. Scale bar = 20 μm. F, G Quantification of Tunel⁺ cells (F) or NeuN⁺ cells (G) (n = 5/group). H Neurological deficits were evaluated until 14 days after tMCAO (n = 8–11/group). I The survival rate of subject mice after CD8⁺ T lymphocytes depletion during 14 days after tMCAO (n = 8–11/group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ns indicates nonsignificant