Laboratory of Microbiology, College of Pharmacy, and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (RIPST), Ajou University, Worldcup-ro 206, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16499, Republic of Korea.
Arch Pharm Res. 2021 Apr;44(4):325-341. doi: 10.1007/s12272-021-01327-5. Epub 2021 Apr 22.
The intestinal mucosa is continuously exposed to a large number of commensal or pathogenic microbiota and foreign food antigens. The intestinal epithelium forms a dynamic physicochemical barrier to maintain immune homeostasis. To efficiently absorb nutrients from food, the epithelium in the small intestine has thin, permeable layers spread over a vast surface area. Epithelial cells are renewed from the crypt toward the villi, accompanying epithelial cell death and shedding, to control bacterial colonization. Tight junction and adherens junction proteins provide epithelial cell-cell integrity. Microbial signals are recognized by epithelial cells via toll-like receptors. Environmental signals from short-chain fatty acids derived from commensal microbiota metabolites, aryl hydrocarbon receptors, and hypoxia-induced factors fortify gut barrier function. Here we summarize recent findings regarding various environmental factors for gut barrier function. Further, we discuss the role of gut barriers in the pathogenesis of human intestinal disease and the challenges of therapeutic strategies targeting gut barrier restoration.
肠道黏膜不断暴露于大量共生菌或致病菌以及外来食物抗原。肠道上皮形成动态的理化屏障以维持免疫稳态。为了从食物中有效吸收营养，小肠的上皮层具有薄而可渗透的层，分布在广阔的表面积上。上皮细胞从隐窝向绒毛方向更新，伴随上皮细胞死亡和脱落，以控制细菌定植。紧密连接和黏附连接蛋白为上皮细胞-细胞提供完整性。上皮细胞通过 Toll 样受体识别微生物信号。来自共生菌代谢物的短链脂肪酸、芳烃受体和缺氧诱导因子等环境信号增强肠道屏障功能。在这里，我们总结了肠道屏障功能的各种环境因素的最新发现。此外，我们还讨论了肠道屏障在人类肠道疾病发病机制中的作用以及靶向肠道屏障修复的治疗策略所面临的挑战。
