Effect of Electroacupuncture in Mice with Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis and the Influence of Gut Microbiota

Figure 2

Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of colon sections (200x magnification). Upper part: expression of (a) CD11b, (b) F4/80, (c) TLR4, (d) MyD88, (e) claudin-1, and (f) ZO-1 antibody in colon tissue of different groups. The arrowheads in the DSS group indicate the positive yellow and brown staining for these proteins, which mean that macrophages infiltrated bowel inflammation (a, b) through TLR4 signaling via MyD88-dependent pathway (c, d). The arrows in DSS + EA group indicate the positive brown staining for these proteins, which mean tight junction preservation (e, f) when compared to the DSS group. Scale bar: 50 μm. TLR4: Toll-like receptor 4. EA: electroacupuncture ST36. Lower part: quantification of area percentage of IHC staining by true color image analysis with the application of adjusted thresholds. Results of three-group comparison (represented by bold line segments with endpoints). ^#, ^✠, ^✟Results of the DSS group versus DSS + EA group, DSS group versus control group, and DSS + EA group versus control group, respectively (represented as thin lines without endpoints). ; ; ns: no significance. Data were presented as mean ± SEM of repeated adjusted thresholds in each group.