Louis, MO, USA). Mononuclear cells were collected and washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Following cell count, they were resuspended in saline, and the final concentration was www.selleckchem.com/products/PLX-4032.html approximately 3×107 BMMCs/500 μl. Transplantation of BMMCs or vehicle (saline) occurred approx. 24 h after ischemia. Animals were anesthetized with ketamine hydrochloride

(90 mg/kg, i.p.) and xylazine hydrochloride (10 mg/kg, i.p.), and BMMCs (or saline) were injected through the left jugular vein. Separation of ischemic animals in experimental groups for behavioral analyses is explained in Table 1. Two untreated ischemic animals were euthanized 1 h after ischemia to verify early presence of cortical lesion, and animals injected with BMMCs or saline were euthanized 72 h after ischemia to quantify the extension of the lesion.

Their brains were rapidly removed from the skull and sectioned in the coronal EPZ6438 plane at 2 mm of thickness using a rat brain blocker/slicer (Insight Ltda.). The slices were immersed for 30 min into 2% 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) solution at 37 °C. Digital images were captured from reacted slices with a camera coupled to a dissecting microscope and to a PC computer. Lesion areas of the slices were measured from digital images using tools of the ImageJ software (NIH). The lesion area of each slice was multiplied by its thickness (2 mm), obtaining the volume (mm3). For each animal, the total lesion volume was calculated by summing the volumes of its slices. Blinded investigators performed the behavioral analyses to avoid bias. To analyze the effect of BMMCs treatment on recovery of skilled forepaw motor function,

ischemic animals injected with BMMCs or saline were submitted HSP90 to the RCPR task (Schaar et al., 2010). Each animal was placed in a Plexiglass box (26 cm long, 30 cm high and 16 cm width), with a front window (1.9 cm wide and 20 cm high) and a platform (16 cm long and 3 cm width) attached outside the box, in the front window, at 4.5 cm from the base (Fig. 1). There were five holes on this platform (Fig. 1B), where food pellets were placed. These pellets were rigorously standardized in shape, size and weight (45 mg; Dustless Precision Pellets®/Rodent, Grain-Based; Bio-Serve, Frenchtown, NJ, USA). A daily task was standardized with 20 trials or 20 min of task, anyone who has been achieved first. A trial consisted to grasp and lift a food pellet placed on external platform and take it to the mouth, inside the box. Each trial was classified as success, when it was entirely done, or as fault, when any mistake was done in its execution (when animal was unable to grasp the pellet, or if it left the pellet get down before reaching the mouth). The whole experiment was divided into three phases. Phase 1 (determination of side preference) was performed before ischemia. Pellets were put in the most medial hole of the platform, and no removable wall was placed inside the box.