Effects of dietary zinc deficiency on esophageal squamous cell proliferation and the mechanisms involved

Figure 1 Hematoxylin and eosin staining of the esophageal mucosa (200 ×). A: Zinc-sufficient group; B: Zinc-deficient (ZD) group; C: Zinc-replenished group. The esophageal mucosa of mice in the Zinc-sufficient group (A) consisted of a layer of basal cells that were arranged in an orderly manner. In the ZD mice (B), there was apparent basal cell hyperplasia in the esophageal mucosa, that resulted in two to four layers of basal cells arranged in a disordered manner, along with a visible squamous layer thickening. The esophageal mucosa of mice in the Zinc-replenished group (C) showed no obvious improvement compared to that of mice in the ZD group.