Role of gut microbiota in Crohn’s disease pathogenesis: Insights from fecal microbiota transplantation in mouse model

Figure 3 Effects of gut microbiota from Crohn’s disease patients on intestinal permeability in mice with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced Crohn’s disease. A: Fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated-dextran assays of intestinal permeability; B: ELISA assays of serum concentrations of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein to determine serum endotoxin levels; C: Immunofluorescent staining of colon tissues to determine the levels of occludin expression (× 150). Average fluorescence density was quantified using ImageJ software (right panel); D and E: Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting assays showing the levels of occludin, ZO-1, E-cadherin, CB1, and CB2 mRNA and protein in colon tissues. n = 6 or 3, ^bP < 0.01 vs control; ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01 vs 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) alone; ^bP < 0.01 vs TNBS + NC-fetal microbiota transplantation, by one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey HSD test. TNBS: 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid; CD: Crohn’s disease; NC: Normal control; FMT: Fetal microbiota transplantation.