Fig. 6. Western blot analysis of the effect of lithium treatment on glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) activity in the spinal cords of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) rats. (A) Representative immunoblots of p-Akt (Ser⁴⁷³), total Akt (~51 kDa), p-GSK-3β (Ser⁹), total GSK-3β (~46 kDa), β-catenin (~92 kDa), and β-actin (~45 kDa). (B, C) Bar graphs show significant decreases in p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, and β-catenin expression in the spinal cords of vehicle-treated rats. Lithium treatment markedly increased the expression levels of these factors. To quantify phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β, levels of the phosphorylated forms were normalized to total Akt or GSK-3β. For normalization of β-catenin expression, the membranes were reprobed using an anti–β-actin antibody. Values are mean±SE. n = 6 per group. ^*P<0.05 vs. controls, ^#P<0.05 vs. lithium treatment. N, normal controls; V, vehicle-treated EAE; Li, lithium-treated EAE.