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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique
Published on: May 26, 2021
Experimental obstructive jaundice alters claudin-4 expression in intestinal mucosa: effect of bombesin and
Stelios F Assimakopoulos1, Constantine E Vagianos, Aristides S Charonis
1Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Greece. sassim@upatras.gr
Aim:
To investigate the influence of experimental obstructive jaundice and exogenous bombesin (BBS) and neurotensin (NT) administration on the expression of the tight junction (TJ)-protein claudin-4 in intestinal epithelium of rats.
Methods:
Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: I = controls, II = sham operated, III = bile duct ligation (BDL), IV = BDL+BBS (30 microg/kg per d), V = BDL+NT (300 microg/kg per d). At the end of the experiment on d 10, endotoxin was measured in portal and aortic blood. Tissue sections of the terminal ileum were examined histologically and immunohistochemically for evaluation of claudin-4 expression in intestinal epithelium.
Results:
Obstructive jaundice led to intestinal barrier failure demonstrated by significant portal and aortic endotoxemia. Claudin-4 expression was significantly increased in the upper third of the villi in jaundiced rats and an upregulation of its lateral distribution was noted. Administration of BBS or NT restored claudin-4 expression to the control state and significantly reduced portal and aortic endotoxemia.
Conclusion:
Experimental obstructive jaundice increases claudin-4 expression in intestinal epithelium, which may be a key factor contributing to the disruption of the mucosal barrier. Gut regulatory peptides BBS and NT can prevent this alteration and reduce portal and systemic endotoxemia.
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