• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to examine whether administration of glutamine are able to prevent the methotrexate induced gut barrier damage, bacterial translocation, and weight changes. The animals with glutamine were fed with L-glutamine (1.2 and 2.4 mg/kg/day) for 7 days before methotrexate administration (20 mg/kg orally). 48 hour after methotrexate administration, intestinal permeability were measured for an assessment of the gut barrier dysfunction. Also, enteric aerobic bacterial counts, number of gram-negatives in mesenteric lymph node (MLN), liver spleen, kidney and heart were measured for an assessment of the enteric bacterial number and bacterial translocation. Amounts of food intake, body weight changes and organ weight changes of liver spleen, kidney and heart were measured. Methotrexate administration caused body and liver weight loss regardless amounts of food intakes. Methotrexate induced increasing intestinal permeability, enteric bacterial undergrowth and bacterial translocation to MLN, liver and spleen, but not kidney and heart. The supplements with glutamine reduced the intestinal permeability bacterial translocation, and not influences enteric bacterial number, and body and liver weight changes. This study suggested that glutamine might effectively reduce methotrexate induced intestinal damage and bacterial translocation, but not influence body and organ weight loss.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.94-98
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• 2021

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce a variety of cellular responses, such as proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and apoptosis. Intestinal epithelial cells are continuously exposed to ROS, and excessive generation of ROS severely damages cells via oxidative stress. Pro-inflammatory cytokines may lead to intestinal inflammation and damage by inducing excessive ROS generation. In this study, we showed that papiliocin, an antimicrobial peptide, significantly inhibited ROS production, without affecting cell viability. Moreover, TNF-α and IL-6 expression was decreased in the intestinal epithelial cells. The activity of papiliocin may significantly contribute to preserving the integrity of the intestinal mucosa against oxidative damage and inflammation-related disorders.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.222-230
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• 2019

Intestinal barrier dysfunction always accompanies cirrhosis in patients with advanced liver disease and is an important contributor facilitating bacterial translocation (BT), which has been involved in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis and its complications. Several studies have demonstrated the protective effect of Vitamin D on intestinal barrier function. However, severe cholestasis leads to vitamin D depletion. This study was designed to test whether vitamin D therapy improves intestinal dysfunction in cirrhosis. Rats were subcutaneously injected with 50% sterile $CCl_4$ (a mixture of pure $CCl_4$ and olive oil, 0.3 mL/100 g) twice a week for 6 weeks. Next, $1,25(OH)_2D_3$ ($0.5{\mu}g/100g$) and the vehicle were administered simultaneously with $CCl_4$ to compare the extent of intestinal histologic damage, tight junction protein expression, intestinal barrier function, BT, intestinal proliferation, apoptosis, and enterocyte turnover. Intestinal heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and oxidative stress were also assessed. We found that vitamin D could maintain intestinal epithelial proliferation and turnover, inhibit intestinal epithelial apoptosis, alleviate structural damage, and prevent BT and intestinal barrier dysfunction. These were achieved partly through restoration of HO-1 and inhibition of oxidative stress. Taken together, our results suggest that vitamin D ameliorated intestinal epithelial turnover and improved the integrity and function of intestinal barrier in $CCl_4$-induced liver cirrhotic rats. HO-1 signaling activation was involved in these above beneficial effects.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.19-40
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• 1971

Since the iron balance is maintained by regulated intestinal absorption rather than regulated excretion, there have been many reports concerning the factors which may influence the intestinal iron absorption. As the liver is the largest iron storage organ of the body, any hepatocellular damage may result in disturbances in iron metabolism, e,g., frequent co-existence of hemochromatosis and liver cirrhosis, or elevated serum iron level and increased iron absorption rate in patients with infectious hepatitis or cirrhosis. In one effort to demonstrate the influence of hepatocellular damage on intestinal iron absortion, the iron absorption rate was measured in the rabbits whose livers were injured by a single subcutaneous injection of carbon tetrachloride (doses ranging from 0.15 to 0.5cc per kg of body weight) or by a single irradiation of 2,000 to 16,000 rads with $^{60}Co$ on the liver locally. A single oral dose of $1{\mu}Ci\;of\;^{59}Fe$-citrate with 0.5mg of ferrous citrate was fed in the fasting state, 24 hours after hepatic damage had been induced, without any reducing or chelating agents, and stool was collected for one week thereafter. Serum iron levels, together with conventional liver function tests, were measured at 24, 48, 72, 120 and 168 hours after liver damage had been induced. All animals were sacrificed upon the completing of the one week's test period and tissue specimens were prepared for H-E and Gomori's iron stain. Following are the results. 1. Normal iron absorption rate of the rabbit was $41.72{\pm}3.61%$ when 0.5mg of iron was given in the fasting state, as measured by subtracting the amount recovered in stool collected for 7 days from the amount given. The test period of 7 days is adequate, for only 1% of the iron given was excreted thereafter. 2. The intestinal iron absorption rate and serum iron level were significantly increased when the animal was poisoned by a single subcutaneous injection of 0.15cc. per kg. of body weight of carbon tetrachloride or more, or the liver was irradiated with a single dose of 12,000 rads or more. The results of liver function tests which were done simultaneously remained within normal limit except SGOT and SGPT which were somewhat increased. 3. In each case, there has been good correlation between the extent of liver cell damage and degree of increased iron absorption rate or serum iron level. 4. The method of liver damage appeared to make no obvious difference in the pattern of iron deposit in liver. This may be partly due to the fact that tissue specimens were obtained too late, for by this time the elevated serum iron level had returned within normal range and the pathological changes were almost healed. 5. The possible factors and relationship between intestinal iron absorption and hepatic parenchymal cell damage has been discussed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.373-375
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• 1993

Quantitative ${\beta}$-galactosidase estimation in the intestinal mucosal cells of calves with diarrhea under experimental conditions due to rotavirus were undertaken. A quantitative decrease of 40-70% in ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity was observed in proximal and middle segments of the small intestine of the infected calves, more so in the middle segments. The decrease in the distal part of the intestine, however, was lesser (5 to 30%). The decrease in the activity was more marked on the day 2 to 6 post infection indicating the degree of the damage of the villi of the small intestine.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 2021

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway controls intestinal epithelial barrier permeability by regulating tight junctions (TJs) and epithelial cells damage. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and carbon monoxide (CO) protect the intestinal epithelial barrier function, but the molecular mechanism is not yet clarified. MAPK activation and barrier permeability were studied using monolayers of Caco-2 cells treated with tissue necrosis factor α (TNF-α) transfected with FUGW-HO-1 or pLKO.1-sh-HO-1 plasmid. Intestinal mucosal barrier permeability and MAPK activation were also investigated using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration with CoPP (a HO-1 inducer), ZnPP (a HO-1 inhibitor), CO releasing molecule 2 (CORM-2), or inactived-CORM-2-treated wild-type mice and mice with HO-1 deficiency in intestinal epithelial cells. TNF-α increased epithelial TJ disruption and cleaved caspase-3 expression, induced ERK, p38, and JNK phosphorylation. In addition, HO-1 blocked TNF-α-induced increase in epithelial TJs disruption, cleaved caspase-3 expression, as well as ERK, p38, and JNK phosphorylation in an HO-1-dependent manner. CoPP and CORM-2 directly ameliorated intestinal mucosal injury, attenuated TJ disruption and cleaved caspase-3 expression, and inhibited epithelial ERK, p38, and JNK phosphorylation after chronic CCl4 injection. Conversely, ZnPP completely reversed these effects. Furthermore, mice with intestinal epithelial HO-1 deficient exhibited a robust increase in mucosal TJs disruption, cleaved caspase-3 expression, and MAPKs activation as compared to the control group mice. These data demonstrated that HO-1-dependent MAPK signaling inhibition preserves the intestinal mucosal barrier integrity by abrogating TJ dysregulation and epithelial cell damage. The differential targeting of gut HO-1-MAPK axis leads to improved intestinal disease therapy.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 2008

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gut damage and bacterial translocation (BT) have not been studies well, especially from the perspective of time after administration of NSAIDs. We therefore examined these changes in animals. The study was performed on 5 groups of rat; a control group (group A) and diclofenac groups (groups B, C, E, and F). Rats in the diclofenac groups were orally administered diclofenac sodium before intestinal permeability (IP) measurement (group B, 1 h before measurement; group C, 10 h before; group D, 22 h before; and group E, 52 h before). The IP, stool pellet number, serum biochemical profile, enteric bacterial number, and BT in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), liver, spleen, kidney and heart were measured. The administration of diclofenac resulted in significantly increased IP, caused intestinal protein loss, decreased stool pellet number, caused enteric bacterial overgrowth and increased BT in multiple organs in groups A, B, C, and D. IF, intestinal protein loss, and the BT in the liver and the spleen in group E were decreased than those in group D. There were no differences in the other parameters between group D and E. In the recovery phase of the diclofenac-induced gut damage, enteric bacterial overgrowth and BT in the kidneys and the heart did not change while the BT in the reticuloendothelial systems such as in the MLNs and liver was decreased.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.879-883
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• 2007

This study examined whether dietary supplementation with sea tangle alters the intestinal morphology of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and affects the glucose absorption rate. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups and fed either a control (AIN76-based) diet or a sea tangle-supplemented diet. After 3 weeks, 10 rats in each group received an intramuscular injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg BW), and feeding was continued for 3 additional weeks. Dietary supplementation with sea tangle resulted in a lower fasting plasma glucose level compared with the control diet in diabetic rats. Scanning electron micrographs revealed serious damage to the jejunal villi of diabetic rats fed the control diet, whereas supplementation with sea tangle alleviated the damage. In a separate experiment, 20 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups and fed either a control diet or a sea tangle-supplemented diet for 5 weeks, and fasted rats were subjected to in situ single-pass perfusion. The glucose absorption rate determined in the absence of digesta was decreased by 34% in the jejunum of rats fed a sea tangle diet compared with those fed a control diet. In conclusion, sea tangle supplementation lowered glucose absorption rate, altered intestinal morphology, and appeared to protect villi from damage caused by diabetes mellitus.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.230-237
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• 2015

Purpose: Various gastrointestinal factors may contribute to maladaptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To determine the association between maladaptive behavior in children with ASD and gastrointestinal symptoms such as severity, intestinal microbiota, inflammation, enterocyte damage, permeability and absorption of opioid peptides. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study compared children with ASD to healthy controls, aged 2-10 years. Maladaptive behavior was classified using the Approach Withdrawal Problems Composite subtest of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory. Dependent variables were gastrointestinal symptom severity index, fecal calprotectin, urinary D-lactate, urinary lactulose/mannitol excretion, urinary intestinal fatty acids binding protein (I-FABP) and urinary opioid peptide excretion. Results: We did not find a significant difference between children with ASD with severe or mild maladaptive behavior and control subjects for gastrointestinal symptoms, fecal calprotectin, urinary D-lactate, and lactulose/mannitol ratio. Urinary opioid peptide excretion was absent in all children. Children with ASD with severe maladaptive behavior showed significantly higher urinary I-FABP levels compared to those with mild maladaptive behavior (p=0.019) and controls (p=0.015). Conclusion: In our series, maladaptive behavior in ASD children was not associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, intestinal inflammation (no difference in calprotectin), microbiota (no difference in urinary D-lactate) and intestinal permeability (no difference in lactulose/manitol ratio). ASD children with severe maladaptive behavior have significantly more enterocyte damage (increased urinary I-FABP) than ASD children with mild maladaptive behavior and normal children.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.260-265
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• 2021

Dysregulation of inflammation induced by noninfectious stress conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, causes tissue damage and intestinal permeability, resulting in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases. We studied the effect of autophagy on cytokine secretion related to intestinal permeability under nutrient deprivation. Autophagy removes NLRP3 inflammasomes via ubiquitin-mediated degradation under starvation. When autophagy was inhibited, starvation-induced NLRP3 inflammasomes and their product, IL-1β, were significantly enhanced. A prolonged nutrient deprivation resulted in an increased epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), leading to intestinal permeability. Under nutrient deprivation, IL-17E/25, which is secreted by IL-1β, demolished the intestinal epithelial barrier. Our results suggest that an upregulation of autophagy maintains the intestinal barrier by suppressing the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and the release of their products, including pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-17E/25, under nutrient deprivation.