Figure 2. Anti-CXCL4 mAb attenuates the severity of the 5-FU-induced murine intestinal mucositis. (A) Anti-CXCL4 mAb reduced the severity and duration of diarrhea in CIM. Mice were injected with anti-CXCL4 mAb 2 h before 5-FU (250 mg/kg). Diarrhea was scored daily. n = 10 mice per group. (B) Anti-CXCL4 mAb reduced the lethal toxicity of 5-FU. Mice were treated with anti-CXCL4 mAb (1 mg/kg) or equal volume saline 2 h before 5-FU (400 mg/kg) administration. Animal survival for 25 d are presented as Kaplan–Meier survival curves and analyzed by a long-rank test. n = 10 mice per group. (C) Histological and apoptotic presentation of the jejunum. H&E (a–c) and TUNEL staining (d–f) are shown. Anti-CXCL4 mAb was injected 2 h before 5-FU. Mice were sacrificed on day 1 for apoptosis and day 3 for morphometry after 5-FU injection (300 mg/kg). Untreated, normal mice; 5-FU, mice treated with 5-FU only; and 5-FU and anti-CXCL4 mAb, mice treated with 5-FU and anti-CXCL4 mAb, respectively. Average villus length and crypt depth of the mice are shown (g). Twenty villi and crypts were counted per mouse. n = 3 mice per group. A quantitative presentation of the TUNEL-positive cells is shown (h). The average number of TUNEL-positive cells in ten fields per mouse was determined under microscope (400×). n = 3 mice per group. Data are presented as mean ± SD *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. 5-FU-treated mice.