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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches to Determine Intestinal Epithelial Cell Permeability
Published on: October 19, 2018
Dynamics of enterocyte tight junctions: effect of experimental colitis and two different anti-TNF strategies
Walter Fries1, Carmelo Muja, Carmela Crisafulli
1Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Terapia Medica, Policlinico Universitario, Pad C, III piano, Via Consolare Valeria, 1, 98100 Messina, Italy. walter.fries@unime.it
Abstract:
An alteration of the intestinal barrier is considered to represent an early step in pathogenesis of Crohn's disease. The integrity of intestinal barrier function is guaranteed among other factors by enterocyte tight junction (TJ) proteins. Clinical and experimental data indicate the TNF-alpha to be the major responsible factor for these defects. In the present study we investigated the very early effects of DNBS-ethanol colitis on ileal enterocyte TJ proteins [occludin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), claudin-2] in controls, mice treated with infliximab (IFX) or with etanercept (ETC), and in knockout mice for the TNF-alpha receptor 1 (TNFR-1(-/-)). Circulating TNF-alpha levels were effectively reduced by IFX and ETC (P < 0.01, both) at 3 and at 6 h. DNBS colitis induced disappearance of occludin and ZO-1 from enterocyte cell-cell contact, whereas claudin-2, absent under control conditions, appeared in the ileal epithelium. These alterations were prevented equally by both treatments, IFX and ETC, and in TNFR-1(-/-) animals. DNBS colitis induced a very rapid loss of occludin and ZO-1 from ileal TJ together with an upregulation of claudin-2. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that TNF-alpha is involved in early TJ rearrangement and that its effects are mediated through TNFR-1. Despite clinical differences, both anti-TNF treatments were equally effective in the present setting.
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Tight Junctions
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
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Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...