BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

GI Band-Aid

How preventing bacteria from escaping the gut could treat autoimmunity

April 6, 2018 12:33 AM UTC

A trio of Science papers shows a leaky gut can drive systemic inflammation and autoimmunity by allowing bacteria and their products to escape the GI lumen and enter the bloodstream. The results open a variety of therapeutic options for sealing the leak or clearing the out-of-place bacteria, all of which should avoid the side effects of marketed immunosuppressants.

Normally, a healthy gut doesn’t let excess levels of bacterial products exit the confines of the gut to wreak havoc on surrounding tissues. Epithelial cells in the intestine form tight intercellular junctions that create a solid barrier to limit passage of macromolecules into the systemic circulation. ...