Fig. 5

Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation of syringomyelia. a After fixation for 24 h, the spinal cord was carefully harvested. The red arrow indicates the cotton strip. b The ependyma of the central canal is outlined with red dashed lines, and the area is calculated to represent the cross-sectional area of the central canal (S1). The outer border of the spinal cord is outlined with black dashed lines, and the area is calculated to represent the cross-sectional area of the spinal cord (S2). The ratio of the central canal to the spinal cord area = S1/S2. c Local magnification of the central canal in the sham group (HE staining) shows that the ependymal cells are closely arranged around the central canal. The area of the central canal is very small, close to the recessive space. The ependymal cells lining the central canal of rats in the sham group were distributed in one layer, and the intercellular space was larger than that of the sham group. Ependymal cells were counted in the entire margin of the central canal. d At 8 weeks, the spinal cords of rats in both groups were removed and transected. Routine HE staining, Nissl staining, and IBA1 and MBP immunohistochemistry were performed. In the experimental group, the central canal of the spinal cord was obviously dilated, and the surrounding gray matter was pushed to all sides. There was no difference in IBA1 staining between the experimental group and the sham group. There was no difference in MBP staining between the experimental group and the sham group. ****P < 0.0001