The disease activity index (DAI) assessment was used to assess colitis severity. It is a compilation of multiple assessments, including the percentage of body weight loss, stool consistency, and fecal blood. A Hemoccult test kit (Beckman Coulter Inc., Brea, CA, USA) was used to determine occult blood in the stool samples according to manufacturer instructions. DAI assessment was conducted in a blinded fashion, starting 1 day prior to DSS treatment (day 0), occurring throughout the second cycle of 2% DSS administration, and continuing until 2 days after DSS exposure, meaning that the assessment ran for a total of 5 days, as previously described [127 (link),128 (link),129 (link),130 (link),131 (link)]. Each measurement was scored on a scale ranging from 0 to 4, which was then summed for a DAI score per mouse. A maximum severity score of 12 was possible. To normalize the findings, the daily DAI score per mouse was subtracted from its respective day 0 score. On the 8th week, the animals were euthanized, and their brains and colons were collected for further analysis.
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