Electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) Repairs Interstitial Cells of Cajal and Upregulates c-Kit Expression in Rats with SCI-Induced Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction

<div>Morphology of ICCs in the colon tissues from rats in different groups. (a) In the sham group (<i>n</i> = 5), the typical shape of the cell body and nucleus was observed, and the intracellular organelles were abundant and healthy. (b) In the SCI group (<i>n</i> = 5), the structural abnormalities of ICCs and its organelles were observed, and vacuoles and organelle decreasing happened in the cytoplasm. (c) In the SCI + EA group (<i>n</i> = 5), the shape of the cell body and intracellular structures were closer to those in the sham group, although the cytoplasm still contained some vacuoles. Red arrow, interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC); yellow arrow, nucleus; green arrow, mitochondria; blue arrow, endoplasmic reticulum. Scale bar, 2 <i>μ</i>m in the left panels and 1 <i>μ</i>m in the right panels.</div>

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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Figure 1: Electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) Repairs Interstitial Cells of Cajal and Upregulates c-Kit Expression in Rats with SCI-Induced Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction 

Figure 1 | Electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) Repairs Interstitial Cells of Cajal and Upregulates c-Kit Expression in Rats with SCI-Induced Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction 