Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2832820 Molecular Immunology 2008 10 Pages PDF
Abstract

Defects in tight junction barrier have been considered as an important etiologic factor of Crohn's disease. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exert beneficial effects on inflammatory bowel disorders. However, the mechanisms remain unknown. We found that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3) changed lipid environment in membrane microdomains of tight junction in vitro. n-3 PUFAs treatment effectively prevented the redistribution of occludin and ZO-1 and distortion of TJ morphology, reduced transepithelial electrical resistance induced by IFN-γ and TNF-α. We also observed dramatic reorganization of TJ proteins in epithelial lateral membrane following treatment with these cytokines. Our findings for first time indicate that n-3 PUFAs play an important role in proinflammatory cytokines-induced permeability defects and epithelial barrier dysfunction by modifying lipid environment in membrane microdomains of tight junction.

Related Topics
Life Sciences Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Molecular Biology
Authors
, , , , , ,