Pharmacological Targeting of the Inflamed Intestinal Barrier

The intestinal epithelium serves as an important barrier between luminal contents and underlying tissue compartments. Barrier properties are established and maintained by the multiprotein complexes in the tight junction (TJ), adherens junction (AJ) and desmosomes (DM). Compromised intestinal epithelial barrier function resulting from changes in junctional protein expression and organization is associated with exposure to luminal antigens that result in mucosal inflammation, which in turn further exacerbates the epithelial barrier compromise. In this review we discuss regulatory mechanisms by which intercellular junction proteins are influenced by inflammatory mediators to influence intestinal epithelial barrier function and address potential therapeutic strategies to strengthen the barrier and restore mucosal homeostasis.