Figure 7

Exposure to PM causes increased gut permeability and inflammation and colonic epithelial cell death in mice. Wild-type mice were treated with either PBS (vehicle) or PM via gastric gavage for measurement of (A) IL-6 mRNA (qRT-PCR) in small bowel and colonic homogenates (24 and 48 hours after treatment) (n = 6/treatment group), (B) intestinal permeability to 4kD dextran (48 hours after treatment) (n = 5/treatment group), (C) cell death (TUNEL-positive nuclei) in the colon (48 hours after treatment) (n = 4/treatment group), (D) ZO-1 mRNA (qRT-PCR) in the small bowel and colon (n = 4/treatment group) and (E) ZO-1 protein expression in the small bowel (24 and 48 hours after treatment) (n = 4/treatment group) and (F) tight junction disruption (ZO-1 and occludin localization) in the small bowel by immunofluorescence (48 hours after treatment) (Representative images, n = 4/treatment/group). (P < 0.05 *PM compared with PBS).