Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 18, 2025
Intestinal Epithelial Regeneration in Response to Ionizing Irradiation
Published on: July 27, 2022
Retinoids delay cell cycle progression and promote differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells exposed to nutrient
Rosa Elayne Marques de Freitas1, Pedro Henrique Quintela Soares Medeiros1, Francisco Adelvane de Paulo Rodrigues2
1Institute of Biomedicine and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
Objective:
Vitamin A is commonly recommended as a treatment for diarrhea and undernutrition; however, little is known about the underlying cellular mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the modulation of cell cycle by vitamin A derivatives (retinyl palmitate or retinol) in undernourished intestinal epithelial crypts (IEC-6).
Methods:
IEC-6 cells were exposed to nutrient deprivation (no serum and no glutamine) and supplemented with retinyl palmitate or retinol at a range of 2 to 20 μM. Proliferation, apoptosis/necrosis, cell cycle process, and gene transcription were assessed.
Results:
Nutrient deprivation for 6, 12, 24, or 48 h decreased cell proliferation, and retinyl palmitate further decreased it after 24 and 48 h. Apoptosis rates were reduced by undernourishment and further reduced by retinyl palmitate after 48 h; whereas necrosis rates were unaltered. Undernourishment induced overall cell quiescence, increased percentage of cells in G0/G1 phase and decreased percentage of cells in S phase after 12 h and in G2/M phases at 6, 12, and 24 h after treatment. Both retinoids also showed cell quiescence induction with less cells in G2/M phases after 48 h, whereas only retinol showed significant modulation of G0/G1 and S phases. Both retinoids also increased markers of cell differentiation Fabp and Iap gene transcriptions in about fivefold rates after 42 h. Furthermore, specific gene transcriptions related to MAP kinase signaling pathway regulation of cell differentiation and cell cycle regulation were triggered by retinoids in undernourished IEC-6, with higher levels of expression for Atf2 and C-jun genes.
Conclusions:
These findings indicated that both vitamin A derivatives induce further survival mechanisms in undernourished intestinal epithelial crypt cells. These mechanisms include increased cell quiescence, decreased apoptosis, increased cell differentiation, and transcription of genes related to MAP kinase signaling pathway.
More Related Videos
06:31Author Spotlight: Studying the Epithelial Effects of Intestinal Inflammation In Vitro on Established Murine Colonoids
Published on: June 2, 2023
07:42Improved Swiss-rolling Technique for Intestinal Tissue Preparation for Immunohistochemical and Immunofluorescent Analyses
Published on: July 13, 2016
Related Concept Videos
01:23Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells
01:12Role 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...
01:22Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
01:33Adult Stem Cells
01:20The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
01:23Negative Regulator Molecules