Albumin-Oleic Acid Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury Figure 2. Inhibition of Tibialis Anterior Reflex Activity with Albumin, Oleic Acid and Albumin-Oleic Acid after SCI. Qualitative analysis of rectified nociceptive Tibialis Anterior (TA) noxious reflex temporal summation at 28 days following spinal contusion (Cont, Fig. 2A–2F, scale bar 20 mV/2.5 s) supported the quantification of reflex inhibition (Fig. 2H) with either albumin (Alb, 0.4 nanomoles, p,0.001), oleic acid (OA, 80 nanomoles, p,0.001) or the complex Alb-OA (0.4/80 nanomoles, p,0.001) when compared to animals with SCI treated with saline alone (Sal). Importantly noxious TA reflex activity following moderate T9 contusion injury was not different for either the averaged response calculated from the second to seventh stimulus (Fig. 2G) or the first reflex response (Fig. 2G inset, same format) amongst the experimental treatment groups when compared to the responses observed in na¨ıve animals or with SCI treated with saline alone. Although no increase in temporal summation for the first to the sixteenth reflex response was identified following contusion SCI (Fig. 2H), significant inhibition of noxious TA temporal summation in animals with contusion SCI was observed with albumin (p,0.001), oleic acid (OA, p,0.001) and albumin-oleic acid (Alb-OA, p,.001) when compared to the group treated with saline alone (Sal, Fig. 2H). The stereoisomer complex albumin-elaidic acid (Alb-EA, 0.4/80 nanomoles) failed to inhibit flexor reflex activity following contusion SCI (Fig. 2H). Statistical analysis was performed with a two-way ANOVA supported by the post-hoc Bonferronni test compared to the SCI group treated with saline alone (*** - p,0.001). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026107.g002 PLoS ONE | www.plosone.org 5 October 2011 | Volume 6 | Issue 10 | e26107