Involvement of nitrergic neurons in colonic motility in a rat model of ulcerative colitis

Figure 4 Changes in the number of nitric oxide synthase-positive neurons in the colonic myenteric plexus. A-L: Immunofluorescent histochemical double-staining of the rat colonic myenteric plexus (MP) for nitric oxide synthase (NOS; green) and HuC/D (red) in CG (A-C), EG1 (D-F), EG2 (G-I), and EG3 (J-L) rats. Scale bar = 30 μm; M: Comparison of the proportion of NOS-positive neurons in the colonic MP showing statistically significant differences between EG groups and CG group (^bP < 0.0001), and between EG2-3 groups and EG1 group (^aP < 0.05). CG: Control group; UC: Ulcerative colitis; NOS: Nitric oxide synthase; L-NMMA: NG-monomethyl-L-arginine monoacetate; EG1: UC group; EG2: UC + NOS agonist TP508TFA group; EG3: UC + NOS inhibitor L-NMMA group; MP: myenteric plexus.