Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapies and Gut Function in a Colitis Mouse Model
Figure 2
Histopathological changes in the colon of noninfected and infected/treated mice. Hematoxylin and Eosin stained sections of the colon from each mouse were examined by light microscopy at week 2 (a) and week 4 (or week 3 for HC group) (b) after the commencement of treatment. Mucosal ulceration, epithelial hyperplasia, lamina propria mononuclear, and neutrophil infiltration were scored on an ascending scale, from 0 to 15, of severity of histological injury. In the infected animals, the total colonic histological injury score was significantly higher than that of the noninfected controls (weeks 2 and 4: for both comparisons). The histological injury score was significantly less in infected groups that had undergone 2–4 weeks of treatments (weeks 2 and 4: versus infected controls for all comparisons). The only exception to this was with HC, where a slight decrease in colonic histological injury score was noted; however, the differences were not significant (week 2 and 3: versus infected controls for both comparisons; versus noninfected controls for both comparisons). NS: not significant; . HC: hydrocortisone; EEN: exclusive enteral nutrition; MNZ: metronidazole.
