Probiotics protect the intestinal wall of morphological changes caused by malnutrition

Abstract

This study sought to morphometrically analyze the jejunal wall of protein-malnourished rats administered a probiotic supplement. The sample consisted of recently weaned Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) distributed among four groups: animals given a commercial diet (G1, n = 4); animals given the same ration as G1 plus a probiotic supplement (G2, n = 4); animals given a 4% protein diet (G3, n = 4); and animals given the same ration as G3 plus a probiotic supplement (G4, n = 4). After 12 weeks, part of the jejunum was harvested and subjected to routine histological processing. Transverse sections with a thickness of 3 µm were stained with HE, and histochemical techniques were used to assay for glycoconjugates, including staining with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) + diastase, Alcian Blue (AB) solution at pH 2.5, and Alcian Blue solution at pH 1.0. Morphometric analysis of the bowel wall showed that the probiotic culture used in this study induced hypertrophy of several layers of the jejunal wall in well-nourished animals and reduced the bowel wall atrophy usually observed in protein-malnourished animals. Neither malnutrition nor the use of probiotics altered the relationship between the number of goblet cells and the number of enterocytes.

extract of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi intensifies morphological alterations in the colon of diabetic rats

“…The tissue was then embedded in paraffin, cut into semi-serial 4-µm cross-sections (KEDEE, semi-automatic, microtome KD-3358, China), and subjected to a series of deparaffinization and hydration procedures for staining with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, or Picro-Sirius red, which was used to evaluate the histomorphometric and quantitative parameters of the colonic wall. 29,30 Histomorphometric analysis Morphometric analysis was performed using images taken with a digital camera connected to a light microscope (Zeiss, Microimaging GmbH, Goettingen, Germany). The thickness (µm) of the entire wall, muscle layer, submucosa, muscularis mucosae, and mucosa was measured under 10× magnification.…”