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Tight Junctions

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Published on: May 26, 2021

Tight junction structure, function, and assessment in the critically ill: a systematic review.

David Vermette¹, Pamela Hu¹, Michael F Canarie¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Yale University, 333 Cedar Street, PO Box 208064, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.

Intensive Care Medicine Experimental

|September 28, 2018

Summary

Critical illness disrupts tight junctions (TJs), essential for barrier integrity. Studies show TJ breakdown markers correlate with adverse outcomes in critically ill patients, suggesting diagnostic and therapeutic potential.

Keywords:

Capillary leak Cellular permeability Critical care Endothelial cells Epithelial cells Tight junctions

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Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

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Published on: May 26, 2021

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Area of Science:

Critical care medicine
Cell biology
Biomarker research

Background:

Tight junctions (TJs) maintain epithelial and endothelial barrier integrity, crucial for homeostasis.
Disruption of TJs in critical illness leads to barrier dysfunction, capillary leak, edema, and organ failure.
This review focuses on TJ structure, function, and breakdown in critically ill humans.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide a clinical overview of tight junction (TJ) structure and function.
To systematically review studies on TJ breakdown markers in critically ill patients.
To analyze the correlation between TJ markers and clinical outcomes.

Main Methods:

Systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed databases.
Inclusion of studies examining the relationship between TJ biomarkers and critical illness.
Qualitative analysis of results due to study heterogeneity and sample size.

Main Results:

Fifteen studies investigated endothelial TJ proteins, and 15 focused on gastrointestinal epithelial TJ markers.
No studies examined TJ proteins in primary cardiac or pulmonary conditions.
The review identified significant correlations between TJ-associated markers and clinical outcomes.

Conclusions:

Tight junction integrity is vital for maintaining homeostasis.
Critical illness is associated with significant disruption of TJs.
Further research into tissue-specific claudins may offer diagnostic and therapeutic advancements for critical care.