3.2. Vit D improves Histopathological Scores of Mucositis
Light microscopic examination of the parts of the small intestine in the
control mice showed normal morphology with villi, long crypts, intact
lining epithelium with normal mucus-secreting cells, and normal
cellularity lamina propria (Fig 2A). The administration of IL-22 alone
caused a slight alteration in mucosal morphology in the small intestine.
The tips of the villi were mildly blunted but the crypts were generally
normal. As is seen from Figure 2A, normal mucosa and structures are
monitored on the full-thickness histopathological sections of the
intestine tissue of the Vit-D-treated mice. Histological studies showed
that MTX treatment-induced serious damage to the intestine (Fig 2). The
results revealed that MTX‑induced small intestinal injury was
characterized by villous shortening, leukocyte infiltration, crypt
abscess, and crypt epithelial damage in the mucosa (Fig 2A). Mild villus
superficial epithelial damage, leukocyte infiltration, and protected
crypt structures are seen in the intestinal tissue of the MTX+IL-22
group. Clear improvement in the intestine was noticed when the mice were
treated with MTX and the Vit-D. The histopathological findings of our
study revealed that Vit D ameliorated mucosal destruction and preserved
the intestinal epithelium morphology, but even mild pathological changes
continue such as crypt abscess.