Figure 6.

GPER^−/− rats show increased scratching behavior than WT rats in imiquimod-induced psoriasis models. A, The timeline for imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like rat model. B, C, Scratching behavior of female WT and GPER^−/− rats on each day before (B) and after (C) painting with imiquimod cream; n = 5 rats for each group; area under curves (AUC) was compared by unpaired Student's t test. t = 2.149, df = 8 (B). p < 0.0001, t = 8.499, df = 8 (C). D, Photograph of the back neck of imiquimod-treated WT and GPER^−/− rats on day 8. E, HE-stained neck skin of naive and imiquimod-treatment female WT and GPER^−/− rats. Scale bar, 50 µm. F, The thickness of epidermis of neck skin in naive and imiquimod-treated female WT rats and female GPER^−/− rats; 15 slides from three rats; one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test were used to assess statistical differences. F = 99.64; p < 0.0001 for WT versus WT IMQ and GPER^−/− versus GPER^−/− IMQ. p = 0.0001 for WT IMQ versus GPER^−/− IMQ. IMQ, imiquimod.