Figure 8. Effects of EGF-EcN on NSAID-induced ulcerative injuries in the small intestine.

Ten-week-old male mice were pretreated twice with vehicle, EcN, and EGF-EcN over 7 days (n = 12). The mice were then treated with 30 mg/kg of indomethacin via gavage. (A) At 24 hours after indomethacin treatment, tissues were observed in “Swiss rolls” of small intestines and analyzed using a stereoscopic microscope. The white arrows indicate hemorrhages along the line of intestines. Inset magnification, x18. (B–D) At 24 hours after indomethacin treatment, tissues were assessed for H&E staining patterns (B, upper), pathological severity score (B, lower), neutrophil infiltration (C, the representative images and the quantitation in the right graph), and ulcer area (D). Results in B are shown as mean ± SEM with asterisks representing significant differences between 2 groups (*P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001 using 2-tailed, unpaired Student’s t test). Scale bars: 100 μm. Different letters (C) represent significant differences between groups (P < 0.05 using 1-way ANOVA with the Newman-Keuls post hoc test). The asterisks in the box-and-whisker plot (min to max, D) represent significant differences between 2 groups (*P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001 using 2-tailed, unpaired Student’s t test). The box plots depict the minimum and maximum values (whiskers), the upper and lower quartiles, and the median. The length of the box represents the interquartile range.