Fig 4.
Histology, tissue pathology, and epithelial barrier integrity assessment for ΔaroA S. Typhimurium-infected WT and Muc2−/− mice. (a) H&E-stained cecal sections (original magnification, ×50; bars, 100 μm) of WT and Muc2−/− mice at day 0 (uninfected), 3 dpi, and 7 dpi. (b) Tissue pathology scores. Mucosal pathology scoring includes epithelial barrier integrity, PMN infiltration, and submucosal edema. Each bar represents the average score for 6 to 7 tissues, scored under blinded conditions. (c) FITC-dextran intestinal permeability assay for uninfected (UN) WT and Muc2−/− mice and for the same mice at 7 dpi. Bars represent the average values for 9 mice per group, pooled from 3 independent experiments. The asterisk indicates a significant difference (*, P < 0.05) by the Mann-Whitney test.