Differential effects of energy balance on experimentally-induced colitis

Figure 3 Effect of dietary treatment on colitis severity in SMAD3-/- mice. A: HE stained sections from the colon and cecum of SMAD3-/- control (CON)-fed mice treated with broth and SMAD3-/- CON- or high fat (HF)-fed mice 4 wk post-infection. Four weeks following infection, the number of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria is increased in the colon and cecum of both CON and HF diet animals, consistent with mild inflammation (arrows denote). Scale bars represent 100 μm; B: Average combined colitis and dysplasia scores between diet groups at 4 wk post-infection. There was no significant difference in theses scores between the CON and HF diet treatment groups; C: Average combined colitis and dysplasia scores between CON and HF mice at 4 wk, 5 wk and 6 wk post-infection. There was no difference between CON and HF diet groups at any point, and there was no effect of time on the scores between diets. H. hepaticus: Helicobacter hepaticus; HE: Hematoxylin and eosin.