Figure 1
Post-lesion over-expression of Cu/Zn SOD is neuroprotective. NMDA lesioned animals were not re-injected or re-injected 2 hours after with either saline solution, the NLSCt vector carrying the transgene for Cu/Zn SOD or the NLSCt vector carrying the transgene for EGFP (NMDA, NMDA+saline, NMDA+SOD and NMDA+GFP respectively). The percentage of total lesioned hemisphere observed in A show that animals injected with the transgene for Cu/Zn SOD displayed a significant reduction in lesion volume in comparison with NMDA+saline (*p < 0.05) or in comparison to NMDA alone (#p < 0.05). The lesion volume in NMDA+saline injected animals was 36.2 mm3. Noticeably, animals injected with the GFP transgene also displayed a significant reduction, though only when compared to NMDA+saline injected animals; a reduction that was less pronounced than those found in Cu/Zn SOD injected animals. The rostro-caudal percent of lesioned hemispheric area is shown in B. The overall lesion was reduced at all levels of the brain of Cu/Zn SOD and GFP injected animals. The injection site is highlighted in grey.