Melanocortin 3,5 receptors immunohistochemical expression in colonic mucosa of inflammatory bowel disease patients: A matter of disease activity?

Figure 2 Melanocortin 3 receptor expression in samples from individuals with ulcerative colitis. A and B: Representative histological sections stained with haematoxylin-eosin for normal (A) and inflamed (B) mucosa. The blue arrow highlights the dense chronic inflammatory infiltrate, while the black arrow indicates histological activity with cryptitis; C and D: Immunohistochemical staining in the former (C) and latter (D) is also presented. The rate of Melanocortin 3 receptor (MC₃R) cell positivity, determined through immunohistochemistry, was significantly higher in the inflamed mucosa compared to the normal mucosa; E: The data are expressed as % ± SEM of MC₃R positive cells relative to the total cells counted. Scale bar = 500 µm. ^aP < 0.01.