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Review
. 2020 Apr 23;12(4):1185.
doi: 10.3390/nu12041185.

Intestinal Permeability, Inflammation and the Role of Nutrients

Ricard Farré  1   2 , Marcello Fiorani  1 , Saeed Abdu Rahiman  1 , Gianluca Matteoli  1
Affiliations
Review

Intestinal Permeability, Inflammation and the Role of Nutrients

Ricard Farré et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The interaction between host and external environment mainly occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, where the mucosal barrier has a critical role in many physiologic functions ranging from digestion, absorption, and metabolism. This barrier allows the passage and absorption of nutrients, but at the same time, it must regulate the contact between luminal antigens and the immune system, confining undesirable products to the lumen. Diet is an important regulator of the mucosal barrier, and the cross-talk among dietary factors, the immune system, and microbiota is crucial for the modulation of intestinal permeability and for the maintenance of gastrointestinal tract (GI) homeostasis. In the present review, we will discuss the role of a number of dietary nutrients that have been proposed as regulators of inflammation and epithelial barrier function. We will also consider the metabolic function of the microbiota, which is capable of elaborating the diverse nutrients and synthesizing products of great interest. Better knowledge of the influence of dietary nutrients on inflammation and barrier function can be important for the future development of new therapeutic approaches for patients with mucosal barrier dysfunction, a critical factor in the pathogenesis of many GI and non-GI diseases.

Keywords: amino acids; epithelial integrity; mucosal barrier; nutrients; short-chain fatty acids; vitamins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the different components of the mucosal barrier in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract. The physical elements include the (1) mucus layer, (2) intestinal epithelium, and (3) commensal microbiota. The immunological elements consist of (4) antimicrobial peptides secreted by Paneth cells and enterocytes, (5) cellular immunity. AMPs: antimicrobial peptides.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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