Research Article

Tiaoshen Tongluo Attenuates Fibrosis by Modulating the TGF-β1/Smad Pathway in Endometrial Stromal Cells and a Rat Model of Intrauterine Adhesion

Figure 2

Influence of the Tiaoshen Tongluo recipe (TTR) on the TGF-β1/Smad pathway in a rat model of intrauterine adhesion (IUA). The relative mRNA expression of TGF-β1 (a), Smad2 (b), Smad3 (c), and Smad7 (d) detected by real-time PCR in rat endometrium. (e) The protein expression of TGF-β1, Smad2, phosphorylated-Smad2, Smad3, phosphorylated-Smad3, and Smad7 detected by Western blot. (f) The protein expression of TGF-β1, Smad2, phosphorylated-Smad2, Smad3, phosphorylated-Smad3, and Smad7 was quantified relative to that of β-actin. (g) Smad4 was detected by IHC staining in rat endometrium of each group. Scale bar = 100 μm. (h) The percent of Smad4-positive areas was quantified.  < 0.05,  < 0.01 compared to the sham group;  < 0.05,  < 0.01 compared to the IUA control group.
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