Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0021831 (enteropathy)
 4,403 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The epithelial tight junction determines the paracellular water and ion movement in the intestine and also prevents uptake of larger molecules, including antigens, in an uncontrolled manner. Claudin-2, one of the 27 mammalian claudins regulating that barrier function, forms a paracellular channel for small cations and water. It is typically expressed in leaky epithelia like proximal nephron and small intestine and provides a major pathway for the paracellular transport of sodium, potassium, and fluid. In intestinal inflammation (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis), immune-mediated diseases (celiac disease), and infections (HIV enteropathy), claudin-2 is upregulated in small and large intestine and contributes to diarrhea via a leak flux mechanism. In parallel to that upregulation, other epithelial and tight junctional features are altered and the luminal uptake of antigenic macromolecules is enhanced, for which claudin-2 may be partially responsible through induction of tight junction strand discontinuities.
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PMID:Claudin-2 as a mediator of leaky gut barrier during intestinal inflammation. 2583 82

Background/Aim. Reflux symptoms (RS) are common in patients with celiac disease (CD), a chronic enteropathy that affects primarily the small intestine. We evaluated mucosal integrity and motility of the lower esophagus as mechanisms contributing to RS generation in patients with CD. Methods. We enrolled newly diagnosed CD patients with and without RS, nonceliac patients with classical reflux disease (GERD), and controls (without RS). Endoscopic biopsies from the distal esophagus were assessed for dilated intercellular space (DIS) by light microscopy and electron microscopy. Tight junction (TJ) mRNA proteins expression for zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and claudin-2 and claudin-3 (CLDN-2; CLDN-3) was determined using qRT-PCR. Results. DIS scores were higher in patients with active CD than in controls, but similar to GERD patients. The altered DIS was found even in CD patients without RS and normalized after one year of a gluten-free diet. CD patients with and without RS had lower expression of ZO-1 than controls. The expression of CLDN-2 and CLDN-3 was similar in CD and GERD patients. Conclusions. Our study shows that patients with active CD have altered esophageal mucosal integrity, independently of the presence of RS. The altered expression of ZO-1 may underlie loss of TJ integrity in the esophageal mucosa and may contribute to RS generation.
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PMID:Altered Esophageal Mucosal Structure in Patients with Celiac Disease. 2744 27