Increased presence of effector lymphocytes during Helicobacter hepaticus-induced colitis

Figure 1 Drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic 3^-/- mice are more susceptible to colitis following infection with Helicobacter hepaticus. A: Inflammation and dysplasia scores in drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD)3^-/- mice post-infection (wk). The colon and cecum from each animal were given a separate score for inflammation and dysplasia (n = 30 animals/trt). Each animal received a total of four numerical scores for each of these criteria. The figure displays the average total of these scores with a lowest possible score of 4 and a highest possible of 16. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.001 vs control animals. There was no change in colitis scores among SMAD3^+/- mice throughout the course of infection (data not shown); B: Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections from the cecum and colon of SMAD3^+/- (upper panel) and SMAD3^-/- mice (lower panel) comparing uninfected and 4 wk after infection with Helicobacter hepaticus (H. hepaticus). Four weeks following infection, the number of inflammatory cells and primarily lymphocytes in the lamina propria was slightly increased in both tissues, consistent with mild inflammation (arrows denote infiltrate).