Figure 1.

Mildly pasteurized whey protein concentrate (MP-WPC) limits colonic lesions. After 5 days of enteral nutrition, the gastro-intestinal tract of preterm and near-term piglets was macroscopically scored for signs of gastroenterocolitis in (a) proximal small intestine, (b) middle small intestine, (c) distal small intestine and (d) colon. (e) Representative images of various degrees of lesions observed, including edema, epithelial damage, presence of erythrocytes, infiltration of inflammatory cells and villus atrophy. Tissue was further evaluated microscopically with a total histology score for (f) distal small intestine and (g) colon. Values are median ± IQR, * p ≤ 0.05. Scalebar equals 100 µm.