Fig. 2. Expression levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling effectors and pain responses after using blockers. (A-C) Phosphorylated PI3K (p-PI3K), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), and phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR) protein levels were increased in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) of streptozotocin (STZ) rats, whereas no statistical significance was observed in total PI3K, Akt, and mTOR protein amounts between the two groups. Values were normalized to β-actin. (D, E) Pain responses to mechanical and thermal stimulations after administration of LY294002 (n = 8) and rapamycin (n = 10) for blocking PI3K and mTOR, respectively in the PAG. The error bars indicate standard deviation. aP < 0.05 and bP < 0.01 vs. control rats. cP < 0.05 vs. STZ rats.
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