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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Studying the Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation In Vitro on Established Murine Colonoids
Published on: June 2, 2023
n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevent disruption of epithelial barrier function induced by proinflammatory
Qiurong Li1, Qiang Zhang, Meng Wang
1Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, No 305 East Zhongshan Road, Nanjing 210002, China.
Abstract:
Defects in tight junction barrier have been considered as an important etiologic factor of Crohn's disease. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exert beneficial effects on inflammatory bowel disorders. However, the mechanisms remain unknown. We found that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3) changed lipid environment in membrane microdomains of tight junction in vitro. n-3 PUFAs treatment effectively prevented the redistribution of occludin and ZO-1 and distortion of TJ morphology, reduced transepithelial electrical resistance induced by IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. We also observed dramatic reorganization of TJ proteins in epithelial lateral membrane following treatment with these cytokines. Our findings for first time indicate that n-3 PUFAs play an important role in proinflammatory cytokines-induced permeability defects and epithelial barrier dysfunction by modifying lipid environment in membrane microdomains of tight junction.
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