passages: PMC-2909993-sec-05__text
passages: sec
passages: Histological analysis
  A cross-section of the distal colon (2 cm) was fixed in 10% paraformaldehyde solution. Afterwards, it was cut into small fragments, dehydrated through an ethanol series (70%-100%), cleared in xylol and embedded in paraffin. The fragments were sliced into 5 mum thick sections and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Histological evaluation was done by a pathologist who was blinded to the experimental groups, and it was based on the intensity of mononuclear and polymorphonuclear infiltrates in the lamina propria, crypt dilation, cellular destruction and mucosal ulceration. Histopathological changes were graded according to the degree of inflammation using the following scale: absent (0), light (1), moderate (2) and intense (3), and the numbers represented the inflammation score (IS). Results were expressed as mean values of IS +/- standard error of the mean (SEM) for each experimental group.
  