Fig. 7: AR increases colonic 5-HT levels in the absence of microbial signals. | Nature Communications

Fig. 7: AR increases colonic 5-HT levels in the absence of microbial signals.

From: Chronic exposure to synthetic food colorant Allura Red AC promotes susceptibility to experimental colitis via intestinal serotonin in mice

Fig. 7

GF mice were either fed normal chow diet or exposed to 100 ppm AR via diet for 14 weeks (98 days). a Schematic illustration of the experimental design. b Colon length (cm). A representative image of colons. c Colonic MPO levels. d Representative images of H&E-stained colon sections; scale bar: 100 μm. e Histological score. f Representative images of IF staining for 5-HT (red) and nuclei by DAPI (blue) in the colon; scale bar: 50 µm. g Number of 5-HT+ cells per 10 crypts. h Colonic 5-HT levels. i Colonic IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels. b–i Data were analyzed by two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test and are expressed as mean or mean ± SD (n = 4 for Chow; n = 5 for AR). *p < 0.05 versus Chow. Source data are provided as a Source Data File.

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