Fig 1: Intrathecal injection of CXCR4 siRNA suppresses TCI-induced up-regulation of NMDAR1 expression in spinal neurons. (A) Immunofluorescence staining showing that NMDAR1 (green) co-localized with neurons (NeuN, red), but not astrocytes (GFAP, red) or microglial cells (IBA1, red). (B) CXCR4 (red) co-expressed with NMDAR1 (green) in the spinal cord. Tissues were taken on day 14 after TCI. Original magnification: 400× (A and B), and 1600 × (inserts in A and B); scale bar: 50 µm (A and B), and 20 µm (inserts in A and B). (C and D) Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses showing the inhibitory effect of CXCR4 siRNA on TCI-induced over-expression of NMDAR1 protein (C) and mRNA (D) on day 14 after TCI. CXCR4 siRNA (siRNA, 5 µg/10 µl) or scrambled siRNA (Scr, 5 µg/10 µl) were administered once daily from days 12 to 14. L4-L6 spinal tissues were collected 12 hours after the last injection. **P < 0.01 vs sham group; # P < 0.05, ## P < 0.01 vs TCI group; n = 4 for each group.