Epidermal growth factor upregulates serotonin transporter and its association with visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome

Figure 1 Effect of neonatal acetic acid treatment on 8-wk-old rat sensitivity to colorectal distension. A: Abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) responses to the graded pressures of colorectal distension (CRD) in saline-treated (n = 10) and acetic acid-treated (n = 10) rats. Acetic acid-treated rats show increased AWR scores compared with the saline rats. Values are expressed as mean ± SD; B: Representative electromyogram (EMG) traces recorded in control and acetic acid-treated rats in response to CRD; C: EMG responses to CRD in rats treated with saline and acetic acid at the neonatal stage. Similar to the AWR scores, acetic acid-treated rats exhibited exaggerated EMG activity responses to CRD at different pressures compared with the saline-treated rats. Neonatal rats vs control rats, ^aP < 0.05, ^bP≤ 0.01, error bars represent the mean ± SD.