Changes in intestinal mucosal immune barrier in rats with endotoxemia

Figure 2 Representative images of the histological changes in the small intestinal mucosa of rats after LPS injection. A: The intestinal mucosa of normal rats was complete and the villi were in an orderly fashion with no abnormal morphology present in the epithelial cells, as well as no manifestation of congestion, edema or infiltration of inflammatory cells; B-E: Representative of the changes 2, 6, 12 and 24 h after LPS treatment. The intestinal mucosal villi of rats with endotoxemia were loosened and atrophic while the epithelial cells were necrotic and the mucosa was edematous and infiltrated with inflammatory cells. The LPS-induced changes to the intestinal mucosa were most obvious in the rats after 12 h.