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

Figure 6 Western blot analysis of the normal control and acute cholecystitis groups. A: The protein expression level of c-Kit, cholecystokinin A receptor (CCKAR) and connexin 43 (CX43) in guinea pig acute cholecystitis (AC) model of gallbladders was decreased; B: The mean grayscale values of c-Kit protein levels in the normal control (NC), AC12h, AC24h, and AC48h groups were 0.96 ± 0.12, 0.53 ± 0.09, 0.49 ± 0.09, and 0.37 ± 0.06, respectively (^aP < 0.05 vs NC groups, ^bP < 0.05 vs NC groups, ^cP < 0.01 vs NC groups); C: The mean grayscale values of α-SMA protein levels in the NC, AC12h, AC24h, and AC48h groups were 0.74 ± 0.05, 1.05 ± 0.05, 0.67 ± 0.05, and 0.75 ± 0.05, respectively (^dP < 0.05 vs NC groups); D: The mean grayscale values of CCKAR protein levels in the NC, AC12h, AC24h, and AC48h groups were 1.05 ± 0.11, 0.92 ± 0.12, 0.66 ± 0.10, 0.44 ± 0.12, respectively (^eP < 0.05 vs NC groups); E: The mean grayscale values of CX43 protein levels in the NC, AC12h, AC24h, and AC48h groups were 1.10 ± 0.30, 1.11 ± 0.02, 0.92 ± 0.09, 0.66 ± 0.12, respectively (^fP < 0.01 vs NC groups). NC: Normal control; AC: Acute cholecystitis; CCKAR: Cholecystokinin A receptor; CX43: Connexin 43.