Host-dependent zonulin secretion causes the impairment of the small intestine barrier function after bacterial exposure

Enteric infections have been implicated in the pathogenesis of both food intolerance and autoimmune diseases secondary to the impairment of the intestinal barrier. On the basis of our recent discovery of zonulin, a modulator of small-intestinal tight junctions, we asked whether microorganisms might induce zonulin secretion and increased small-intestinal permeability.Both ex vivo mammalian small intestines and intestinal cell monolayers were...