LGR5 and inflammation: Lgr5-EGFP + progenitor cells have been identified to play a critical role in the repair of the intestinal epithelium following intestinal injury.44 Several studies highlighted the importance of muscarinic receptors for the maintenance of intestinal mucosal barrier integrity and epithelial regeneration.12,16,45,46 Therefore, we next employed an acute colitis model to assess whether the observed differences in Lgr5-expressing cell numbers as well as PI3K/Akt pathway members between male and female Vil.M3R would differentially affect intestinal inflammation severity.