Fig. 9.

Representative micrographs of Caco-2 cell monolayer. Note the loss of tightness between cells (double-headed arrow) after treatment with 15 μg/ml SMC but not after TSMC or control (CTL). 20X zoom magnification. The graphic below shows that the viability of Caco-2 is not affected. Thus, it is possible to conclude that 15 μg/ml SMC is able to loosen Caco-2 tight junctions without affecting cell viability. The data are mean ± SE (n = 4). Difference between the control and treatment is significant (Student's t-test, p < 0.05). Scale bar – 50 μm.