Fig. 7

Activation of STAT3 is involved in CXCL13 upregulation in spinal cord dorsal horn and contributes to mechanical allodynia of CPIP mice. A Protocol illustrating specific time points for model establishment, intrathecal injections of NF-κB inhibitor PDTC/vehicle and behavioral test. B Western blot showing the expression of p-STAT3 and STAT3 in Sham + Veh, CPIP + Veh and CPIP + S3I-201 groups. Upper panels indicate representative blot images and lower panels indicate pooled data. C Western blot showing the expression of CXCL13 in all three groups. D 50% PWT changes in ipsilateral hindpaws after intrathecal treatment with S3I-201 or corresponding vehicle in CPIP and sham group of mice n = 5–6 mice/group. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test was used for comparisons in B, C. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures followed by Tukey’s post hoc test was used for comparisons in D