Gut microbiota and dietary factors as modulators of the mucus layer in inflammatory bowel disease

The gastrointestinal tract is optimized to efficiently absorb nutrients and provide a com-petent barrier against a variety of lumen environmental compounds. Different regulatory mechanisms jointly collaborate to maintain intestinal homeostasis, but alterations in these mechanisms lead to a dysfuncti...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Fernández Tomé, Samuel, Ortega Moreno, Lorena, Chaparro Sánchez, María, Pérez Gisbert, Francisco Javier
Format: article
Publication Date:2021
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repository:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/716791
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/716791
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910224
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:dietary compounds
gastrointestinal barrier
gut microbiota
inflammatory bowel disease
mucus layer
Medicina
Description
Summary:The gastrointestinal tract is optimized to efficiently absorb nutrients and provide a com-petent barrier against a variety of lumen environmental compounds. Different regulatory mechanisms jointly collaborate to maintain intestinal homeostasis, but alterations in these mechanisms lead to a dysfunctional gastrointestinal barrier and are associated to several inflammatory conditions usually found in chronic pathologies such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The gastrointestinal mucus, mostly composed of mucin glycoproteins, covers the epithelium and plays an essential role in digestive and barrier functions. However, its regulation is very dynamic and is still poorly understood. This review presents some aspects concerning the role of mucus in gut health and its alterations in IBD. In addition, the impact of gut microbiota and dietary compounds as environmental factors modulating the mucus layer is addressed. To date, studies have evidenced the impact of the three-way interplay between the microbiome, diet and the mucus layer on the gut barrier, host immune system and IBD. This review emphasizes the need to address current limita-tions on this topic, especially regarding the design of robust human trials and highlights the potential interest of improving our understanding of the regulation of the intestinal mucus barrier in IBD