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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Three-dimensional Quantification of Intestinal Mucus Using Whole-mount Tissue Imaging

Three-dimensional Quantification of Intestinal Mucus Using Whole-mount Tissue Imaging

Published on: September 12, 2025

Mucosal barrier and immune mediators.

T Sakaguchi¹, S Brand, H C Reinecker

¹Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.

Current Opinion in Gastroenterology

|October 13, 2006

Summary

The intestinal barrier, regulated by tight junctions, is crucial for immunity and preventing inflammation. Immune modulators control this barrier, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear.

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Three-dimensional Quantification of Intestinal Mucus Using Whole-mount Tissue Imaging

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Published on: September 21, 2012

Area of Science:

Immunology
Gastroenterology
Cell Biology

Background:

The intestinal mucosa is a key immunologic organ involved in oral tolerance and host defense.
Controlled antigen crossing of the intestinal epithelium is essential for immune cell interaction and preventing inflammation.
Intestinal epithelial barrier function, reliant on tight junctions, is central to gut immunity and inflammation, yet underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the regulatory mechanisms of the intestinal epithelial barrier.
To understand how tight junctions are modulated in the context of intestinal immunity and inflammation.

Main Methods:

Analysis of tight junction dynamics.
Investigation of cellular and metabolic mediators, including cytokines, that regulate barrier function.

Main Results:

Tight junctions form the dynamic structure of the intestinal epithelial barrier.
Cytokines and other mediators can regulate tight junction permeability, assembly, and disassembly.
Immune modulators play a role in controlling barrier function during various physiological and pathological processes.

Conclusions:

The intestinal epithelial barrier and its tight junctions are dynamically regulated by immune mediators.
Understanding these regulatory mechanisms is critical for addressing intestinal inflammation and related diseases.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex pathways involved in intestinal barrier control.