Fig. 5

Anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic mechanisms. A–C Inhibition of Akt/MAPK/NF-κB pathway and downregulation of iNOS in colon tissues after treatment. D Upregulation of ZO-1 and downregulation of vimentin in colon tissues after treatment. E–G The colonic mRNA level of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1β). H Immunohistochemical staining of vimentin (brown color) (scale bar: 100 μm). I Histopathological assessment of colon sections stained with Masson's trichrome. The upper panels (scale bar: 500 μm) show the loss of surface epithelium marking ulceration (red arrowhead). The lower panels (scale bar: 100 μm) show the hyperplastic connective tissues (yellow arrowhead) and the blue-colored hyperplastic collagen fibers