Fig. 1From: Long-term feeding with high plant protein based diets in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, L.) leads to changes in the inflammatory and immune related gene expression at intestinal levelEvaluation and scoring system used to assess histological parameters of gilthead seabream foregut. a Measurements performed in a foregut histological section (20×). b Detail of villi with a certain grade of infiltration of the lamina propia and the epithelia. Enterocytes nuclei were displaced in some cases. Epithelial vacuolization can also be observed in a normal grade (40×). c Enterocytes showed aligned nuclei in a basal position. Villi presented a low grade of infiltration of their lamina propia and of the epithelia, and low vacuolization. A certain grade of infiltration in the submucosa layer can be observed (20×). SL, ML, SML, VL, VT and number of GC were measured six times per section, and averages were obtained for each section (six sections per group, n = 6). V, EN, EI, LPI and SMI were assessed in each section (n = 6) using the following scoring system: V, normal (1) to hypervacuolated (4); EN, basal (1) to apical (4); EI, low (1) to markedly increased (4); LPI, low (1) to markedly increased (4); SMI, low (1) to markedly increased (4). SL, serous layer; ML, muscular layer; SML, submucosa layer; VL, villi length; VT, villi thickness; LP, lamina propria; GC, goblet cells; V, supranuclear absorptive vacuoles; EN, enterocytes nuclei; EI, epithelial infiltration; LPI, lamina propria infiltration; SMI, submucosa infiltrationBack to article page