Figure 6

Effect of rhEPO on abnormal exploratory behaviors induced by inflammatory pain. Exploratory behaviors and motor functions were tested in juvenile rats that were exposed to control or three formalin injections with and without rhEPO in infancy. A: Quantification of the latency to leave the small chamber in defensive-withdrawal test in 21 day old rats. Rats in the formalin group hesitated to leave the chamber while rhEPO co-injection prevented this abnormal behavior. B: Rats were placed in an open field and their locomotion was monitored for 5 min. The numbers of lines rats crossed were counted and there was no difference between groups, suggesting unaffected motor function. C: The time rats spent on the rotating beam in Rota-rod test, showing no difference between groups. N = 7 in the defensive-withdrawal test and n = 5 in the Rota-rod and open-field tests; *. p < 0.05 compared to saline group; #. p < 0.05 compared to formalin group.