Spinal cord recovery after delayed administration of anti-MBP T cells. One week after contusion at the level of T7, rats (n = 15) were randomly divided into two groups for injection with either PBS (n = 8) or 107 anti-MBP T cells (n = 7).A, The graph shows the mean ± SEM locomotor activity scores at the indicated periods after T7 contusion. Plateau values reached by the anti-MBP T cell-treated rats were significantly higher than those reached by the controls (p< 0.001; ANOVA). For comparison, a similar experiment using five PBS-treated rats and six rats treated immediately with anti-MBP T cells is also shown here. There was no difference between the immediate and the delayed T cell treatment in terms of the maximal plateau values. Another group of rats with contusion at T7 received anti-OVA T cells. No effect was observed relative to PBS-treated rats. B, The course of EAE development in sham-operated rats treated with anti-MBP T cells. Lewis rats were subjected to sham operation (laminectomy but not contusion) and immediately injected with anti-MBP T cells. EAE was evaluated according to a neurological paralysis scale. Values represent means ± SEM.
