Impact of interstitial cells of Cajal on slow wave and gallbladder contractility in a guinea pig model of acute cholecystitis

Figure 4 Sections of guinea pig gallbladder were stained with anti-c-Kit and anti-α-SMA antibodies and visualized with 3,3-diaminobenzidine in the normal control and acute cholecystitis groups (200 ×). Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) (arrowheads) were present in the muscular layer of the gallbladder. The number of ICCs was obviously reduced in each acute cholecystitis (AC) group compared with the normal control (NC) group. Notably, there was no significant difference in gallbladder smooth muscle (arrows) morphology and structure between the NC and AC groups. NC: Normal control; AC: Acute cholecystitis; ICCs: Interstitial cells of Cajal; GBSM: Gallbladder smooth muscle.