Fig. 4

Cerebral Inflammatory and blood–brain barrier marker changes following a single mild transient MCAO. a Representative sections stained from contralateral cortex for the cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF). b, c TNF immunostained sections from ipsilateral cortex at 1 or 3  days post MCAO, respectively. d Mean number of TNF stained cells per field is similarly increased at 1 or 3 days post MCAO (n = 8/group). Representative positive staining of microglia with Iba1 in contralateral cortex e and ipsilateral cortex at 1 and 3 days post MCAO (f, g). Activated microglia were observed at 1 day and these were more numerous at 3 days post MCAO (h, n = 8/group). Double staining of vessels and microglia with tomato lectin (i–l) and vessels with endothelial barrier antigen (EBA) (m–p). Staining of microglia with lectin was minimal in the contralateral cortex (e.g. i) and increased (e.g. arrows) in ipsilateral cortex at 1 day (j) or 3 days (k) post transient MCAO. l Median scores for lectin staining (n = 8/group). m Representative staining of vessels for endothelial barrier antigen (EBA) in contralateral cortex (12 animals with good contralateral positive staining quantified). n, o EBA staining in ipsilateral cortex from animals at 1 and 3 days post MCAO. p Reduced percentage of vessels stained with EBA ipsilaterally relative to contralaterally (n = 6/group). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.005, ipsilateral different from contralateral. ^†P < 0.01 lectin stained microglia differ between 1 and 3 days post MCAO groups