Numbers of AB-PAS and HID-AB positive goblet cells per 1 mm basement membrane in crypts in the ascending colon of weaned piglets1.

1Ninety-six 26 day weaned Landrace piglets were randomly allocated into three diets with low, medium and high dietary zinc (57, 164, and 2425 mg/kg diet from ZnO). Eight piglets in each group were killed at the age of 33±1, 40±1, 47±1 and 54±1 d. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post hoc test. The data were given as mean values.LZn: low dietary zinc; MZn: medium dietary zinc; HZn: high dietary zinc; AB-PAS: Alcian blue pH 2.5-periodic acid Schiff staining; HID-AB: high iron diamine-Alcian blue pH 2.5 staining; Neu: neutral mucin; Acid: acidic mucin; NA: mixed neutral and acidic mucins; Total: total number of AB-PAS positive goblet cells; Sulfo: sulfomucin; Sialo: sialomucin; Mixed: mixed sulfo-sialomucins.abMeans with different superscripts within a row indicate significant differences between groups (P