Alterations of phospholipid concentration and species composition of the intestinal mucus barrier in ulcerative colitis: A clue to pathogenesis

Phospholipids are essential for the normal function of the intestinal mucus barrier. The objective of this study was to systematically investigate phospholipids in the intestinal mucus of humans suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases, where a barrier defect is strongly supposed to be pathogenetic.Optimal mucus recovery was first validated in healthy mice and the method was then transferred to the endoscopic acquisition of ileal and colonic...