Spermine affects intestinal in vitro permeability to different-sized molecules in rats

The gut epithelial lining is normally an effective barrier to entry of luminal bacteria and macromolecules into the body and dietary polyamines may influence its function. Therefore, the effects of spermine on regional intestinal permeability to different-sized marker molecules in rats were investigated in Ussing diffusion chambers. Mucosal exposure to 1 mM spermine reduced the permeation of the marker Na-fluorescein in jejunum, expressed as the apparent permeability coefficient (Papp). In contrast, Papp for Na-fluorescein was increased by 10 mM spermine in ileum and by 50 mM spermine in both jejunum and ileum. No effects were observed on [51Cr]-EDTA permeability in any of the intestinal regions. For the larger marker molecules, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and FITC-dextran 71200 (FITC-D), mucosal exposure to 0.5 mM spermine reduced Papp in colon. Spermine (10 mM), increased Papp for FITC-D in all regions and for BSA only in ileum, while Papp for BSA was increased by 50 mM spermine in both jejunum and ileum. The effects of spermine on the intestinal permeability to different-sized molecules generally seemed to depend on the intestinal region and on the polyamine concentration; higher spermine concentrations (10-50 mM) enhanced, while lower (0.5-1 mM) decreased the permeability. These findings may be important when trying to modulate epithelial barrier functions, especially during barrier dysfunction.