Figure 1. Assessment of the growth rate and intestinal barrier function in C57BL/6 mice fed a malnourished or isocaloric control diet.
(a) A schematic of the components of each diet, expressed as a per cent of total calories. (b) Mice were given each diet post weaning, and daily weight change was assessed daily over a period of 21 days. Data are representative of the three independent experiments, n=8 mice per group. Data points represent the mean and error bars indicate the s.d. (***P<0.001, repeated measures analysis of variance). After 3 weeks of being fed each diet, the total amount of (c) weight gained and (d) final tail lengths were calculated. In the box and whisker plots shown, the middle bar represents the mean, the bottom and top of the box are the first and third quartiles, respectively, and whiskers indicate the range of the data. Data are representative of three independent experiments, n=8 mice per group (Student's t-test **P<0.01). (e) The jejunal mRNA expression of TJP1, CLDN2, CLDN4 and CLDN15 are expressed as fold change relative to the control-fed mice. Bars indicate the mean with s.e.m., and are representative of two independent experiments, eight mice per group (*P<0.05, Student's t-test). (f) Concentration of FITC in the serum was assessed 4 h post administration orally, after mice were fed each diet for 3 weeks. Bars indicate the mean with s.e.m., and are representative of two independent experiments, n=8 per group (*P<0.05, Student's t-test). (g) The average measured villous height in the duodenum (DUO), jejunum (JEJ) and ileum (ILE) with representative H&E-stained images of jejunum sections from mice exposed to each diet. Scale bar, 100 μm (in length). Bar graph indicates the mean with s.e.m., and is representative of three independent experiments, eight mice per group. CON, control; MAL, malnourished.