Figure 3.

Stroke induces robust mucosal changes in older animals. (a) Representative images of colonic goblet cells at 100× magnification (scale bar = 2 mm; black arrow), stained using PAS‐Alcian blue at 24 hr postsurgery (n = 4–5/group). (b) Gene expression of mucin 2 (Muc2), Muc4 and Muc13 from the colon of young and older mice was analysed by qPCR 24 hr after mid‐cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and expressed as a fold change relative to that of young sham‐operated controls (n = 7/group). (c) Protein levels of secretory IgA in the serum and (d) colon 24 hr after MCAO or sham surgery (n = 7–8/group). Data represent the mean ± SEM. Significance was determined by one‐way ANOVA with post hoc comparison and Holm–Sidak multiple testing correction. A p‐value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant: *p ≤ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.01