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Figure 3. Increased protein levels of MMP-9 after SCI are unaltered by treatment with minocycline. A: Gelatin zymogram displaying pro-MMP-2 and -9 protein species (designated in figure by MMP-2 and MMP-9, respectively) in spinal cords from uninjured control mice; after injury, additional bands running between pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP-9 represent the activated forms of MMP-9. Minocycline treatment did not markedly change the expression pattern of MMP-2 or -9 levels after SCI (A) and this was corroborated by quantification of band densities through densitometry (n = 6 each) from the zymogram (B); C: in situ zymography of a longitudinal section from non-injured (left, slide has been over-exposed to confirm the lack of signal) or vehicle-treated mouse (right, 2 days after injury). In situ zymography signal at the lesion site (one longitudinal section containing the central canal per mouse, n = 7 per group) is not different between vehicle- and minocycline-treated mice in blinded analyses (see text). MMPs: matrix metalloproteinases; SCI: spinal cord injury