Figure 1.

Cell positional frequency plots of the apoptotic index in the intestinal crypt 6 hours after systemic exposure to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The baseline apoptotic index of the naive (untreated) animals (•) is also shown. The frequency of apoptosis in all treatment groups was significantly increased compared with naïve animals in positions 3 to 14 (P ≤ 0.05). Apoptosis at cell positions 16 to 19 was generally not observed. Etanercept (■) and low-dose cyclosporine (50 mg/kg) (○) treatment had no effect on the frequency of crypt cell apoptosis after 5-FU exposure. High-dose cyclosporine (100 mg/kg) (▴) given before the 5-FU challenge significantly decreased the amount of apoptosis in positions 6 to 10 compared with the vehicle-treated animals.