The measurements were always performed by computerized morphometry. The technician who performed the measurements was unaware of the origin of the specimen, as well as the experimental group to which the animal belonged. The measurements of the thickness of the colonic crypts and quantification of the number of goblet cells were always performed on a site where there were at least three contiguous and intact crypts in six random fields, a total of 18 crypts being studied in each segment. To measure the thickness of crypts and goblet cell count the selected image was focused by an ordinary optical microscope and captured by a video camera previously coupled to the microscope body. The captured image was digitized and transferred to a microcomputer and analyzed using NIS-Elements (Nikon Corporation, Japan). To measure the thickness of the crypts in the control group and in segments with and without transit of the subgroup experiment the program marke, the apical and basal limits of each crypt with a cross. After the measurement of 18 crypts, the program automatically provided the average of measured values with the standard error of each segment. The mean values were transferred to a data sheet. Immediately after measuring the thickness, the number of goblet cells was quantified in the same crypt and also transferred to the same sheet. Thus, the values for the two variables were always obtained in the same crypt. After the evaluation of the colon of all animals at the different times the final values found for the thickness of the crypts and goblet cell population within each group were also calculated and expressed as mean, with the corresponding standard deviation