The gut vascular barrier: a new player in the gut-liver-brain axis

The intestinal barrier protects our body from external insults through specialized cells organized in a multilayered structure that evolved in symbiosis with the resident microbiota. A breach in the outer mucus and epithelium can be transmitted to the inner gut vascular barrier (GVB), leading to systemic dissemination of microbes or microbe-derived molecules. Several extraintestinal pathologies have been linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis that causes GVB leakage in their early phases. The consequent spreading of inflammatory stimuli to distant organs could be driven by later vascular barrier disruption at different sites, suggesting an interplay between anatomical barriers across the body. Thus, targeting the intestinal barrier holds promise for the prevention and/or therapy of several intestinal, metabolic, and neurological disorders.

Automated summary

The intestinal barrier is crucial for protecting the body from external insults, and a breach in this barrier can lead to systemic microbial dissemination and various diseases. Imbalance in gut microbiota has been associated with intestinal vascular barrier leakage, contributing to the development of a range of disorders.