Figure 6

TIMP-1, -2 and -3 in the human spinal cord after traumatic injury. Images were taken from cases with different survival times after SCI in transverse sections. A: In a section from patients who died 2 days after SCI, immunohistochemistry for TIMP-1 demonstrated occasional cells (arrow) with a round to oval morphology at the lesion site. B: Immunohistochemistry for TIMP-2 showed an identical staining pattern, with single immunopositive rounded cells (arrow). C: At 4 days post injury, identifiable motoneurons demonstrated a cytoplasmic TIMP-2 immunoreactivity. D: 8 days after SCI, only single neurons (arrow) were stained for TIMP-2 and many motoneurons were unstained (arrowheads). E: 8 days after trauma, immunohistochemistry for TIMP-3 demonstrated cytoplasmic staining in most identifiable motoneurons close to the site of injury. F: In the same case, single TIMP-3 immunoreactive round cells could be seen (arrow). G: Four months after SCI, gray matter of the perilesional area showed mostly TIMP-3 immunoreactive motoneurons. H: Eight months after injury, multiple activated cells (arrows, presumably astrocytes) were immunopositive for TIMP-3 in areas directly surrounding the dense glial scar. (A-H, mag. ×260)