Fig. 2. Mannose administration ameliorates DSS-induced colitis by protecting against intestinal barrier damage and tight junction disruption.

Mice (male, n = 6 per group) were treated with 3.0% DSS in the presence or absence of mannose (500 μg/g/d) for 7 consecutive days. Glucose (500 μg/g/d) served as a control sugar. a The body weight changes during the experiments were monitored. Mean ± SD from three independent experiments. b, c Colon tissues were isolated on the last day of the experiment. b A representative photograph of colon tissue from each group is provided, and the colon length was recorded. Scale bar = 1 cm. c The histological analysis of mouse colon tissue was performed by H&E, alcian blue, and Ki67 staining. Scale bar = 100 μm. Histological scores of the DSS-induced colitis were evaluated (9 slides/sample). d–f Intestinal permeability was determined by the albumin level of serum (d), the fecal α1-antitrypsin level (e), as well as serum FD4 concentration (f) on day 7 after the DSS challenge. g The localization of ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1 in the mouse colon was determined on the last day of the experiment by immunofluorescence staining. Scale bar = 100 μm. h The level of ZO-1, occludin, claudin-1, claudin-2, and claudin-4 in the mouse colon was assessed by western blot analysis. i The levels of MLC2, phospho-MLC2, and MLCK protein in the colons from DSS-treated mice with or without mannose were analyzed using immunoblotting analysis. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. Data were analyzed by two-side, unpaired Student’s t-test (a–i) and shown as means ± SD. Data were representative of at least three independent experiments. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.