Diffusion Barrier in the Small Intestine

Cigarette smoking is associated with intestinal barrier dysfunction in the small intestine but not in the large intestine of mice.

AIMS To observe the effect of cigarette smoke (CS) on the small bowel and colon in mice and to attempt to explain the potential mechanisms that account for these effects. METHODS Male BALB/c mice age 6-8 weeks were randomly divided into a CS group and a control group (n=10 per group). CS mice were exposed to CS (five cigarettes each time, four times a day for 5 days a week using Hamburg II sm...

Histomorphometric changes of small intestine in pregnant rat

Food intake of rats increases during pregnancy. This requires changes in the structure of the small intestine to absorb additional food. The aim of the present study was to investigate the morphological changes in the layers of small intestine in rats during pregnancy. Duodenum, jejunum and ileum of 18 pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (day 7, 14 and 21 of pregnancy) were collected. Villous height a...

Digestion in the small intestine

Increased intestinal barrier function in the small intestine of formula-fed neonatal piglets.

Within-litter birth weight variation is adversely correlated to piglet survival and postnatal growth. A less efficient epithelial barrier function in light piglets may partly explain this inverse relationship between birth weight and zootechnical performance. A compromised epithelial barrier increases paracellular permeability; consequently, toxins, allergenic compounds, or bacteria may enter s...

Breakdown of Mucin as Barrier to Digestive Enzymes in the Ischemic Rat Small Intestine

Loss of integrity of the epithelial/mucosal barrier in the small intestine has been associated with different pathologies that originate and/or develop in the gastrointestinal tract. We showed recently that mucin, the main protein in the mucus layer, is disrupted during early periods of intestinal ischemia. This event is accompanied by entry of pancreatic digestive enzymes into the intestinal w...