Fig. 2.

Distribution of ACF, MDF, and tumors in each segment (A-J) along the colon. The x-axis indicates the segments from the distal to proximal colon. Each segment was named A to J in 2-cm intervals from the anal side. The y-axis indicates the average number of lesions per colon (multiplicity). At ten (closed diamond) and fourteen weeks (closed triangle) after the start of the experiment, animals were euthanized. After fixing of colon tissues with 10% buffered formalin on a filter paper with the mucosal surface up, colon tissues were stained with a 1% solution of Alcian blue, pH 2.5, in 3% acetic acid for 5 min and immediately washed with distilled water. Subsequently, after detection of MDF, the colon tissue was stained with 0.2% methylene blue solution to identify ACF. ACF, MDF, and tumors were noted grossly for their location, number, and size as described earlier¹¹. The animal experiment was conducted according to the Institutional Animal Care Guidelines.