Fig. 6

Impact of perinatal exposure to foodborne TiO₂ on susceptibility to develop colitis later in life. A–G Wild type female mice have been exposed to TiO₂ (9 mg/Kg of BW/Day) during the perinatal period including gestational and lactating periods (A). At 14 weeks of age, colitis has been orally induced by introducing Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS) into drinking water at 2% for 7 days followed by 7 days of regular water then 7 days of DSS (A). B and C, During the experimental DSS procedure (21 days), body weight and the disease activity index (DAI) have been monitored daily. D–G Then, at the end of the DSS procedure, mice have been sacrificed and colonic length (D) and, cytokine expression (E) have been monitored. F and G Finally, lipocalin, MPO, permeability and mRNA expression of Mlck and Tpj1 have also been studied. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM and were analysed by Student’s t-test. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001 and ****p < 0.0001 versus control group. At least n = 5 per group