Figure 2From: Optimized heterologous transfection of viable adult organotypic brain slices using an enhanced gene gunOrganotypic brain slice viability, cellular populations, and exogene expression profile. A) Lactate dehydrogenase assay used to monitor cell viability. A significant reduction of cell viability in the 1 μm particle treated OTBS was measured using the LDH assay can be observed 5 days following treatment compared to control and 40 nm treated OTBS (n = 5, *p < 0.05). B) PI labelling at 5 days post transfection shows a significant elevation of the number of necrotic cells in the 1 μm treated OTBS compared to 40 nm treated and untreated OTBS (n = 6, *p < 0.05) as seen in representative brain regions. C) dUTP TUNEL assay at 5 days post transfection shows a slight elevation of nick end labelling in the 40 nm treated OTBS while a significant elevation in the number of dUTP positive cells compared to the untreated control can be observed in the 1 μm treated OTBS (n = 6, *p < 0.05). D) anti-NeuN and anti-GFAP immunolabelling at 5 days post transfection was used to quantify neuronal and glial populations respectively. A significant reduction in the number of NeuN positive cells was observed in comparable visual fields of the CA1 region of the hippocampus of corresponding coronal sections for the 1 μm compared to the 40 nm particle treated OTBS (n = 6, *p < 0.05). E) EYFP expression patterns seen in the 40 nm and 1 μm treated OTBS from 5 to 21 days after transfection. A significantly higher percentage of cells remained EYFP positive three weeks after transfection in the 40 nm treated OTBS compared to the 1 μm treated OTBS (n = 6, *p < 0.05) co-labelled with DAPI.Back to article page