Title:Intestinal Barrier Function and Neurodegenerative Disease
Volume: 23
Issue: 9
Author(s): Shijing Wu, Liangfang Yang, Yiwei Fu, Zhimin Liao, De Cai and Zhou Liu*
Affiliation:
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Age-Related Cardiac and Cerebral Diseases, Institute of Neurology, Department of
Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong 524001, China
Keywords:
Neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, intestinal barrier, gutbrain axis, gut microbiota.
Abstract: Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the loss of neurons and/or their myelin sheaths,
which deteriorate over time and become dysfunctional. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease,
and multiple sclerosis are among the most prominent neurodegenerative diseases that affect millions
of older adults worldwide. Despite extensive research over several decades, controversies still surround
the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases, and many of them remain incurable. Meanwhile,
an increasing number of new mechanistic studies related to the microbiota-gut-brain axis have
emerged, among which the relationship between the function of the intestinal barrier and neurodegenerative
diseases has received widespread attention. As one of the first lines of defense between
the body and the external environment, the impaired function of the intestinal barrier is closely related
to the development of neurodegenerative pathologies. Among them, the microbiota-gut-brain
axis disorder characterized by intestinal barrier disruption mainly includes impaired function of the
intestinal microbial barrier, chemical barrier, mechanical barrier, and immune barrier. This review
focuses on the structure and molecular mechanisms of the various layers of the intestinal barrier as
well as their relationship with neurodegenerative lesions. In recent years, intestinal barrier repair
therapies have provided new ideas for the studied disease treatment modalities. We believe that a
better understanding of the role of the intestinal barrier in neurodegenerative diseases would provide
new insights for the development of viable therapeutic strategies for patients.
