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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Zonulin, a regulator of epithelial and endothelial barrier functions, and its involvement in chronic inflammatory diseases

TLDR
This review focuses on the recent research implicating zonulin as a master regulator of intestinal permeability linked to the development of several chronic inflammatory disorders.
Abstract
Beside digesting nutrients and absorbing solutes and electrolytes, the intestinal epithelium with its barrier function is in charge of a tightly controlled antigen trafficking from the intestinal lumen to the submucosa. This trafficking dictates the delicate balance between tolerance and immune response causing inflammation. Loss of barrier function secondary to upregulation of zonulin, the only known physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions, leads to uncontrolled influx of dietary and microbial antigens. Additional insights on zonulin mechanism of action and the recent appreciation of the role that altered intestinal permeability can play in the development and progression of chronic inflammatory disorders has increased interest of both basic scientists and clinicians on the potential role of zonulin in the pathogenesis of these diseases. This review focuses on the recent research implicating zonulin as a master regulator of intestinal permeability linked to the development of several chronic inflammatory disorders.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI

Increased human intestinal barrier permeability plasma biomarkers zonulin and FABP2 correlated with plasma LPS and altered gut microbiome in anxiety or depression

TL;DR: It is hypothesised that anxiety and depressive disorders are linked to human gut dysbiosis with microbiota that secrete lipopolysaccharide endotoxin into plasma, which in conjunction with compromised gut barrier integrity has systemic manifestations including the brain.
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Celiac Disease and Nonceliac Gluten Sensitivity: A Review.

TL;DR: Although both conditions are treated with a gluten-free diet, distinguishing between celiac disease and nonceliac gluten sensitivity is important for long-term therapy.
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All disease begins in the (leaky) gut: role of zonulin-mediated gut permeability in the pathogenesis of some chronic inflammatory diseases.

TL;DR: Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that the zonulin family, a group of proteins modulating gut permeability, is implicated in a variety of CIDs, including autoimmune, infective, metabolic, and tumoral diseases, suggesting a key pathogenic role of Gut permeability.
References
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TL;DR: An overview of the definitions, clinical features, and epidemiology of the acute respiratory distress syndrome is provided and advances in the areas of pathogenesis, resolution, and treatment are discussed.
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TL;DR: A possible explanation forHay fever trends over time is suggested, as well as a recent increase in the prevalence of asthma2 and childhood eczema.
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Anne J. Ridley, +1 more
- 07 Aug 1992 - 
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Junctional complexes in various epithelia

TL;DR: The tight junction is impervious to concentrated protein solutions and appears to function as a diffusion barrier or "seal," and the desmosome and probably also the zonula adhaerens may represent intercellular attachment devices.
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The small GTP-binding protein rac regulates growth factor-induced membrane ruffling.

TL;DR: It is proposed that rac and rho are essential components of signal transduction pathways linking growth factors to the organization of polymerized actin and that growth factors act through rac to stimulate this rho-dependent response.
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