Acute Putrescine Supplementation with Schwann Cell Implantation Improves Sensory and Serotonergic Axon Growth and Functional Recovery in Spinal Cord Injured Rats

Figure 6

Putrescine supplementation enhances the functional outcomes obtained with SC implants. Assessment of open field locomotor performance with the (a) BBB score and subsequent (b) BBB subscore analysis shows that animals receiving either acute or delayed putrescine have improved walking behavior over SC implanted, vehicle controls. Improvements in foot and tail positioning, as measured by the BBB subscore, exhibit a more acute and stable pattern of recovery. (c) Recording the number of footfalls that occur while traversing a horizontal grid walk test also showed an improvement in hind paw positioning when acute putrescine was administered (red) compared to vehicle only controls (blue). Delayed putrescine (green) was without effect. Statistical significance indicated at , , and compared to the vehicle control group or compared to acute putrescine.

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