Figure 1.

Colitis parameters are aggravated after dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) exposure in α7 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) male mice. (A) Time course of disease activity index (DAI) of α7 WT and KO male mice treated with 2.5% DSS (2.5% w/v) in the drinking water. The DAI values were computed as described in Materials and Methods section. (B) Area under the curve of disease activity. (C) Percentage of body weight change during DSS treatment period. (D) Colon length (cm) after DSS treatment of α7 WT and KO male mice. (E) Colonic tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels (pg/mg protein) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All clinical signs were assessed on a daily basis for each mouse and were averaged per day for each group. Results are expressed as mean ± SE, n = 6–8, *p < .05. # indicates the significant of KO from the WT.