The research team, led by Georgia State University and the University of Michigan, wanted to understand how a wound heals in the intestine because in IBD, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, damage to the intestinal
epithelial barrier allows bacteria in the intestine to go across the barrier and stimulate the body's immune system.
(14) Stress increases intestinal permeability,
allowing bacteria and bacterial antigens to cross the
epithelial barrier into the bloodstream, inducing an immune response that alters the microbiome.