Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells.
Butyric acid (BA) can potentially enhance the function of the intestinal barrier. However, the mechanisms by which BA protects the intestinal mucosal barrier remain to be elucidated. Given that the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA)/Rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2)/Myosin light chain kinase (ML...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316362 |
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| author | Luqiong Liu Tong Chen Zhenrong Xie Yongjin Zhang Chenglu He Yongkun Huang |
| author_facet | Luqiong Liu Tong Chen Zhenrong Xie Yongjin Zhang Chenglu He Yongkun Huang |
| author_sort | Luqiong Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Butyric acid (BA) can potentially enhance the function of the intestinal barrier. However, the mechanisms by which BA protects the intestinal mucosal barrier remain to be elucidated. Given that the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA)/Rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2)/Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) signaling pathway is crucial for maintaining the permeability of the intestinal epithelium, we further investigated whether BA exerts a protective effect on epithelial barrier function by inhibiting this pathway in LPS-induced Caco2 cells. First, we aimed to identify the optimal treatment time and concentration for BA and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through a CCK-8 assay. We subsequently measured Trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER), FITC-Dextran 4 kDa (FD-4) flux, and the mRNA expression of ZO-1, Occludin, RhoA, ROCK2, and MLCK, along their protein expression levels, and average fluorescence intensity following immunofluorescence staining. We then applied the ROCK2 inhibitor Y-27632 and reevaluated the TEER, FD-4 flux, and mRNA, and protein expression of ZO-1, Occludin, RhoA, ROCK2, and MLCK, as well as their distribution in Caco2 cells. The optimal treatment conditions were determined to be 0.2 mmol/L BA and 5 μg/mL LPS for 24 hours. Compared with LPS treatment alone, BA significantly mitigated the reduction in the TEER, decreased FD-4 flux permeability, increased the mRNA expression of ZO-1 and Occludin, and normalized the distribution of ZO-1 and Occludin in Caco2 cells. Furthermore, BA inhibited the expression of RhoA, ROCK2, and MLCK, and normalized their localization within Caco2 cells. Following treatment with Y-27632, the epithelial barrier function, along with the mRNA and protein expression and distribution of ZO-1 and Occludin were further normalized upon inhibition of the pathway. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the potential mechanisms through which BA attenuates LPS-induced impairment of the intestinal epithelial barrier. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-24d175f54279474f86acc2f0a867b1a5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-24d175f54279474f86acc2f0a867b1a52025-01-08T05:32:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-011912e031636210.1371/journal.pone.0316362Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells.Luqiong LiuTong ChenZhenrong XieYongjin ZhangChenglu HeYongkun HuangButyric acid (BA) can potentially enhance the function of the intestinal barrier. However, the mechanisms by which BA protects the intestinal mucosal barrier remain to be elucidated. Given that the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA)/Rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2)/Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) signaling pathway is crucial for maintaining the permeability of the intestinal epithelium, we further investigated whether BA exerts a protective effect on epithelial barrier function by inhibiting this pathway in LPS-induced Caco2 cells. First, we aimed to identify the optimal treatment time and concentration for BA and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through a CCK-8 assay. We subsequently measured Trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER), FITC-Dextran 4 kDa (FD-4) flux, and the mRNA expression of ZO-1, Occludin, RhoA, ROCK2, and MLCK, along their protein expression levels, and average fluorescence intensity following immunofluorescence staining. We then applied the ROCK2 inhibitor Y-27632 and reevaluated the TEER, FD-4 flux, and mRNA, and protein expression of ZO-1, Occludin, RhoA, ROCK2, and MLCK, as well as their distribution in Caco2 cells. The optimal treatment conditions were determined to be 0.2 mmol/L BA and 5 μg/mL LPS for 24 hours. Compared with LPS treatment alone, BA significantly mitigated the reduction in the TEER, decreased FD-4 flux permeability, increased the mRNA expression of ZO-1 and Occludin, and normalized the distribution of ZO-1 and Occludin in Caco2 cells. Furthermore, BA inhibited the expression of RhoA, ROCK2, and MLCK, and normalized their localization within Caco2 cells. Following treatment with Y-27632, the epithelial barrier function, along with the mRNA and protein expression and distribution of ZO-1 and Occludin were further normalized upon inhibition of the pathway. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the potential mechanisms through which BA attenuates LPS-induced impairment of the intestinal epithelial barrier.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316362 |
| spellingShingle | Luqiong Liu Tong Chen Zhenrong Xie Yongjin Zhang Chenglu He Yongkun Huang Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells. PLoS ONE |
| title | Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells. |
| title_full | Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells. |
| title_fullStr | Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells. |
| title_short | Butyric acid alleviates LPS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the RhoA/ROCK2/MLCK signaling pathway in Caco2 cells. |
| title_sort | butyric acid alleviates lps induced intestinal mucosal barrier damage by inhibiting the rhoa rock2 mlck signaling pathway in caco2 cells |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316362 |
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