The rat ileum has been featured in a wide variety of studies. In recent years, for instance, scientists have investigated such topics as the effects of stress and radiation on the paracellular barrier in the rat ileum, as well as alterations produced in the rat ileum by diabetes and lead. Such research can provide valuable information regarding potential risks to the intestinal health of humans.

In the digital image above, a sample of rat ileum tissue is presented that was labeled with the fluorophore Texas Red conjugated to wheat germ agglutinin, a fluorescent lectin that selectively binds to sialic acid residues. Wheat germ agglutinin conjugates are often used as probes for the Golgi network in mammalian tissues and cells. The sample was also stained with Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated to phalloidin and Hoechst 33342, which target the cytoskeletal filamentous actin network and nuclear DNA, respectively. Images were recorded in grayscale with a 12-bit digital camera coupled to a Nikon Eclipse 80i microscope equipped with bandpass emission fluorescence filter optical blocks. During the processing stage, individual image channels were pseudocolored with RGB values corresponding to each of the fluorophore emission spectral profiles.