Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 16, 2025

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique
Published on: May 26, 2021
A prebiotic fructo-oligosaccharide promotes tight junction assembly in intestinal epithelial cells via an
Preedajit Wongkrasant1, Pawin Pongkorpsakol2, Jutharat Ariyadamrongkwan3
1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Rajathevi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand; Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA; Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangpla, Bangpli, Samutprakarn, 10540, Thailand.
Abstract:
Tight junctions play an important role in maintaining barrier integrity of intestinal epithelia. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) promotes tight junction assembly in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC). Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), well-known prebiotics, have previously been shown to alleviate inflammation-associated intestinal epithelial disruption although the mechanisms were unclear. This study aimed to investigate any effect of FOS on AMPK activity and tight junction assembly under non-inflammatory and inflammatory conditions using T84 cells as an IEC model. As analyzed by western blot, FOS induced AMPK activation through a calcium sensing receptor (CaSR)-phospholipase C (PLC)- Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-β (CaMKKβ) pathway. Calcium switch assays and immunofluorescence staining of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) revealed that FOS induced tight junction assembly via an CaMKKβ-AMPK-dependent mechanism in IEC. Interestingly, FOS reversed the suppressive effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on AMPK activity and tight junction assembly via a CaMKKβ pathway. Taken together, these findings uncover a prebiotic-independent effect of FOS in promoting intestinal epithelial tight junction assembly through AMPK activation, which may have implications for the treatment of diseases whose pathogenesis involves impaired intestinal barrier function.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Tight Junctions
Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Oligosaccharide Assembly
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...
Intestinal Phase of Digestion
The arrival of the chyme in the small intestine distends the duodenum, which triggers the enterogastric reflex. This distension...

