Fig. 7: RIC-mediated preservation of intestinal perfusion via nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide is required to improve intestinal injury during NEC.
a Morphology of the ileum was assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining in breastfed (BF) (n = 8) control and NEC pups (n = 10). Intestinal injury increased in NEC pups receiving b, c Stage 1 RIC following administration of inhibitors of NO-synthase (n = 6) or H2S-synthesizing enzymes (n = 6), as well as in pups receiving d, e Stage 2 RIC following administration of inhibitors of NO-synthase (n = 6) or H2S-synthesizing enzymes (n = 7) compared to NEC pups receiving Stage 1 RIC (n = 10) or Stage 2 RIC (n = 10) without drug treatment. Morphology of the ileum was assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining and histological slides were graded by 3 investigators blinded to treatment allocation based on the NEC histopathological scoring system that defines mice with NEC grade ≥ 2 as NEC positive. f, g Treatment with NaHS improved intestinal injury in NEC pups, resulting in a lower NEC grade, but not following treatment with H2S-synthesizing enzyme inhibitors (BF: n = 8; NEC: n = 10; NEC + NaHS: n = 10, NEC + NaHS+H2S-synthesizing enzyme inhibitors: n = 10). Data were compared using two-sided one-way ANOVA with post hoc Turkey test (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001). Scale bars are equivalent to 100 µm in a, b, d and f. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
