Fig. 5

EC-EXO possessed favorable neuronal affinity and could be present in the nerves for a prolonged time. To study the neuronal affinity of EC-EXO, 50 μg/mL EC-EXO (20 μL) were injected locally under the epineurium of sciatic nerve. A Representative pictures of living imaging in each group at 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days and 28 days following surgery. B Radiant efficiency in different groups at different days. The data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3). C The rats were sacrificed on Day 28. Sciatic nerves were harvested and examined by bioluminescent imaging. D Luminescence of sciatic nerves at Day 28 were quantified. The data are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3). E SD rat model reached the injection with DiI-labelled EC-EXO under the epineurium of sciatic nerve. Then at 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days and 28 days following surgery, the nerves were harvested and stained to visualize nucleus with DAPI. Representative images to visualize the distribution of EC-EXO in sciatic nerve at 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days and 28 days following surgery. Scale bar, 20 μm. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01