Study of the roles of caspase-3 and nuclear factor kappa B in myenteric neurons in a P2X7 receptor knockout mouse model of ulcerative colitis

Table 2 Scale used to score the severity of macroscopic and microscopic lesions in the distal colon of ulcerative colitis model mice and mice that received intrarectal injection of 35% ethanol

Macroscopic injury	Score
Normal	0
Hyperemia without ulcers	1
Ulcerations without hyperemia	2
Ulcerations at one site	3
Ulcerations at two or more sites	4
Sites of damage extending > 1 cm	5
Sites of damage extending > 2 cm; the score increases by 1 for each additional cm	6-10
A
No ulcer	0
Single ulceration not exceeding the lamina muscularis mucosa	1
Ulcerations not exceeding the mucosa	2
Ulcerations exceeding the submucosa	3
B
No submucosal edema	0
Mild edema	1
Moderate edema	2
Severe edema	3
C
No inflammatory cell infiltration	0
Mild infiltration	1
Moderate infiltration	2
Dense infiltration	3

The presence of ulcers (A), the severity of edema in the submucosal layer (B), and the degree of inflammatory cell infiltration (C) were assessed by histological analysis.