Soluble factors induce cell proliferation in the adult rat hippocampus.

<p>(a) A schematic diagram shows the site of a single injection (lateral ventricle) of soluble factors (a combination of Delta4, Angiopoietin 2, insulin, and a JAK kinase inhibitor) in adult rats. The day of injection was termed Day 1. On days 2, 3, and 4, intraperitoneal BrdU injections were administered as described in the Materials and Methods section. On Day 5, animals were perfused and the brains were prepared for immunohistochemical analysis. The data presented are from the hilus of the hippocampus where the major effects were observed. (b) Immunohistochemical detection for BrdU and Hes3 in the hilus of control and treated animals shows BrdU/Hes3 double-positive cells. (c) Quantification of the effect of the treatment on the number of BrdU labeled cells in the hilus. For the graph, the number of cells in the sham operated control animals was set to 100%. Treatments induced a several-fold increase (p<0.05). [Width of images: b, 325 micrometers].