Zonarol represses the inflammatory responses in the subacute and chronic phases after DSS-administration in UC mice.

A) IHC for Gr-1 showed a significantly greater decrease in the numbers of accumulated neutrophils (i.e., subacute inflammatory cells) in the modestly injured colonic mucosa in the mice from the 20 mg/kg zonarol group compared to the positive control mouse colons on day 15 post-DSS administration (n = 6 mice per group). Fewer than 10 neutrophils per 100 crypts were noted in sham-treated normal control mice. B, C) IHC for CD3 revealed that the modestly-injured colons in mice from the 20 mg/kg zonarol group had significantly fewer infiltrating T-lymphocytes, especially around the crypts in the lamina propria, compared with the DSS positive control mice on day 15. In addition, Mac-2 staining showed that there were significantly fewer macrophages per mucosa in the mice in the 20 mg/kg zonarol group than in the mice in the positive control group. In contrast, untreated normal control animals had markedly fewer chronic inflammatory cells (T-lymphocytes and macrophages) compared to the mice in the 20 mg/kg zonarol group. Scale bar = 100 µm. Values are the means ± SE. *P<0.05, **P<0.001, ***P<0.0001.