Zonulin and Its Regulation of Intestinal Barrier Function: The Biological Door to Inflammation, Autoimmunity, and Cancer

• Published in: Physiological reviews Vol. 91; no. 1; pp. 151 - 175
• Main Author: Fasano, Alessio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Physiological Society 01.01.2011
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - metabolism; Autoimmunity; Cancer; Cholera Toxin - metabolism; Electrolytes; Homeostasis; Humans; Inflammation - metabolism; Intestinal Mucosa - metabolism; Neoplasms - metabolism; Pathogenesis; Permeability; Proteins; Tight Junctions - metabolism; Tissues

The primary functions of the gastrointestinal tract have traditionally been perceived to be limited to the digestion and absorption of nutrients and to electrolytes and water homeostasis. A more attentive analysis of the anatomic and functional arrangement of the gastrointestinal tract, however, sug...