Figure 5
AQP3 distribution in the gastric pit (GP), fundic gland (FG), small intestinal villus (SIV), and colonic epithelium (CEP) in tissue sections from O. cuniculus (A–D) and L. yarkandensis (E–H). (A–H) Representative immunohistochemistry of the AQP3 distribution in the gastric pit, fundic gland, small intestinal villus, and colonic epithelium of O. cuniculus and L. yarkandensis. Paraffin sections (6 μm) of gastrointestinal tract tissue from O. cuniculus and L. yarkandensis. Sections were incubated with an anti-AQP3 antibody. Scale bar for A-H: 50 μm. (I–L) Densitometric analysis of all immunohistochemical results for the gastric pit, fundic gland, small intestinal villus, and colonic epithelium from O. cuniculus and L. yarkandensis (n = 6 animals per group). *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001. In O. cuniculus, weak labelling was detected in the gastric pit (A), small intestinal villus epithelium (C), and colonic epithelium (D), and strong labelling was detected in parietal cells of the fundic gland (B). In contrast, strong labelling was detected in surface mucous cells of the gastric pit (E), surface-absorptive cells of the small intestinal villus (G) and the colonic epithelium (H) of L. yarkandensis, and weak labelling was detected in parietal cells of the fundic gland (F). The densitometric values showed higher expression levels of AQP3 in the gastric pit (I), small intestinal villus (K), and colonic epithelium (L) of L. yarkandensis than in O. cuniculus, and a lower level of AQP3 in parietal cells of the fundic gland (J) of L. yarkandensis than in O. cuniculus.
