Vitamin D Can Ameliorate Chlorhexidine Gluconate-Induced Peritoneal Fibrosis and Functional Deterioration through the Inhibition of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition of Mesothelial Cells

Figure 4

Vitamin D treatment decreased chlorhexidine gluconate- (CG-) induced peritoneal epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in a rat model. Sprague-Dawley rats received a daily intraperitoneal injection of chlorhexidine gluconate (CG) with or without administration of low (L, 500 ng/kg) or middle (M, 750 ng/kg) dose 1α,25(OH)₂D₃ (vit. D). As a control, rats received daily intraperitoneal instillation of normal saline (NS). (a) Western blot analysis showed that vitamin D inhibited chlorhexidine gluconate- (CG-) induced downregulation of (b) E-cadherin and upregulation of (c) α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in rat visceral peritoneum. Protein levels are represented semiquantitatively by the corresponding graphs and were measured on an arbitrary scale in both graphs. Data represent mean ± S.D. () (; ).

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(b)

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