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In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches to Determine Intestinal Epithelial Cell Permeability
Published on: October 19, 2018
Cold exposure increases intestinal paracellular permeability to nutrients in the mouse
Edwin R Price1, Lisa J Ruff, Alberto Guerra
1Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|August 6, 2013
Summary
Mice exposed to cold rapidly increase intestinal mass and nutrient absorption. This suggests the intestine can quickly adapt to higher energy demands, with increased paracellular permeability playing a key role.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Animal Biology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Animals acclimate to increased energy demands by increasing food intake and intestinal size.
- The rate at which the intestine can adapt its size to meet new digestive demands is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate immediate and longer-term changes in mouse intestinal properties following sudden cold exposure.
- To determine if paracellular permeability to nutrients increases as an immediate response to elevated absorptive demand.
Main Methods:
- Mice were exposed to 4°C and measurements were taken pre-exposure, after 1 day, and after 2 weeks.
- Assessed l-arabinose absorption, intestinal wet mass, and gene expression of tight junction proteins (claudin-2, claudin-4, claudin-15, ZO-1).
Main Results:
- Cold exposure increased food intake by 62% after 2 weeks.
- Intestinal wet mass increased after 1 day and persisted.
- l-Arabinose absorption rose by 20% after 1 day and 33% after 2 weeks; claudin-2 expression increased after 1 day.
Conclusions:
- Intestinal mass responds rapidly to increased energy demand.
- Increased paracellular permeability is an early adaptive response to elevated energy needs.
- Enhanced permeability may result from enterocyte hyperplasia, increasing absorption pathways.
