Epithelial Barrier Function
Epithelial Barrier Function - Related Videos
08:58
Analyzing Beneficial Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Functions During Experimental Colitis
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Cited by 18 •
2017
Current treatments of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) aim at alleviating disease symptoms but may cause severe side effects. Thus, alternative strategies are being investigated in animal colitis models. Here, we explain how the beneficial effects of diet supplements on clinical IBD signs are analyzed in such a colitis model.
02:04
Generation of a Human Colonoid Monolayer with Barrier Function to Study Host–Pathogen Interactions
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2026
Source: In, J. G.,et al. Human Colonoid Monolayers to Study Interactions Between Pathogens, Commensals, and Host Intestinal Epithelium. J. Vis. Exp. (2019).This video demonstrates the procedure for culturing colon-derived epithelial cells on a collagen-coated Transwell system to generate a mucus-producing monolayer that models the intestinal barrier and enables host–pathogen interaction studies.
09:58
A Choroid Plexus Epithelial Cell-based Model of the Human Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier to Study Bacterial Infection from the Basolateral Side
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Cited by 45 •
2016
The epithelial cells of the choroid plexus (CP) form the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB). An in vitro model of the BCSFB employs human choroid plexus papilloma (HIBCPP) cells. This article describes culturing and basolateral infection of HIBCPP cells using a cell culture filter insert system.
09:40
Organoid-Derived Epithelial Monolayer: A Clinically Relevant In Vitro Model for Intestinal Barrier Function
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Cited by 19 •
2021
Here, we describe the preparation of human organoid-derived intestinal epithelial monolayers for studying intestinal barrier function, permeability, and transport. As organoids represent original epithelial tissue response to external stimuli, these models combine the advantages of expandability of cell lines and the relevance and complexity of primary tissue.
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Epithelial Tissues and Their Functions
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2025
Epithelial tissues are large sheets of cells covering all of the surfaces of the body. These surfaces can be internal or external, for example, skin, airways, the digestive tract, the urinary system, and the reproductive system. Hollow organs and body cavities that do not connect to the body's exterior, including blood vessels and serous membranes, are lined by epithelial tissue known as the endothelium. Epithelial tissues provide the body's first line of protection from physical, chemical, and...
FAQs
Tight junctions and adherens junctions provide complementary structural control between neighboring epithelial cells. Tight junctions help regulate movement through the spaces between cells, while adherens junctions maintain cell-to-cell attachment and organized tissue architecture. Together, they help preserve selective permeability, keep body compartments separated, and support barrier stability when tissues encounter microbes or inflammatory signals.
Cellular junctions alone do not provide the complete protective environment. Mucus and antimicrobial molecules add protective layers and chemical defenses at epithelial surfaces, helping limit microbial access and activity near the cells. Their coordinated presence strengthens containment before microbes cross the epithelial layer and contributes to the tissue conditions required for local homeostasis.
Regulated transport allows an epithelial layer to control which ions, molecules, microbes, and immune signals move between separated compartments. This selectivity prevents unrestricted exchange while still permitting necessary communication and material movement. Maintaining that balance is important because excessive passage can compromise containment, whereas appropriately controlled transport supports tissue homeostasis and coordinated immune responses.
Infection or inflammation can weaken the epithelial barrier and alter its ability to contain separated compartments. Disruption may permit pathogen entry and increase the movement of signals that amplify immune responses. The resulting interaction between barrier damage and inflammation can intensify tissue disturbance, making restoration of epithelial organization important for re-establishing containment.
Research on epithelial barrier function can connect changes in junctions, mucus, antimicrobial molecules, or regulated transport with a tissue’s ability to prevent pathogen entry. When containment fails, microbes may access compartments that are normally separated, while amplified immune responses can worsen disruption. These relationships help explain why barrier damage may increase susceptibility to disease.
Studies of this process support several research areas identified in immunology and infection, including vaccine development, anti-infective therapies, inflammatory disorders, and tissue repair. Examining how barriers remain intact, become disrupted, or recover can reveal whether an intervention improves containment, limits damaging inflammation, or promotes restoration of tissue homeostasis.
Repair restores epithelial containment after disruption and helps re-establish the separation of body compartments. This recovery can reduce opportunities for pathogen entry and help bring excessive immune signaling back toward a controlled state. For research on inflammatory disorders and tissue repair, barrier restoration therefore provides an important outcome alongside the initial prevention or treatment of infection.