Figure 3

The cellular and molecular composition of the scar in human SCI after early and long survival times. Transverse sections of the human spinal cord of control cases and at early and late survival times after SCI. The schematic diagrams in the upper right corner indicate the region from where the actual picture was taken (black rectangle). A: Co-localisation of phosphacan (green) and MBP (red) confirms the presence of the CSPG in the myelin sheaths of control dorsal root axons. B: Double immunofluorescence with phosphacan (green) and laminin (red) reveals CSPG-immunopositive myelin rings surrounded by laminin-positive endoneurium in a dorsal nerve root of control spinal cord. C: Double immunofluorescence with NG2 (red) and CD68 (green) in macrophages at the lesion epicentre, 10 days after injury. D: One year after SCI, staining for versican (red) and NF (green) in sections from the lesion epicentre demonstrated individual and bundled regenerated nerve fibres that were surrounded by a versican-positive endoneurium in the ECM. E-G: In sections from the lesion epicentre of the same case, double immunofluorescence for NF (green) and neurocan (E, red), versican (F, red) or phosphacan (G, red) revealed nerve fibres surrounded by a CSPG-positive endoneurium. H-I: In the intermediate zone of the same case, GFAP (green) and NG2 (H, red) and phosphacan (I, red) immunofluorescence demonstrated the close overlap of all three proteins in the astroglial scar after human SCI. J: In an adjacent section, NF (green) and phosphacan immunohistochemistry revealed occasional, small, nerve fibres still present within the CSPG-rich ECM of the astroglial scar. (A-J magnification × 400).