The outer layer of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a film of mucus and bacteria, and a protein called
zonulin regulates how tightly the cells are linked together.
Not exact matches
Tight junctions,
regulated by a molecule called
zonulin, as well as by conformational changes in the proteins occludin and claudin, are dynamic intercellular structures that modulate the trafficking or passage of macromolecules from the intestinal lumen to the submucosa and into systemic circulation (Fasano, 2012).
A research published in 2011 in the Physiological Reviews Journal stated that
zonulin is the only substance that
regulates the function of the tight junctions in the blood - brain barrier of brain and the intestinal barrier of the gut.
In the small intestine, gluten triggers the release of
zonulin, a protein that
regulates the tight junctions between epithelial cells and therefore intestinal, but also blood - brain barrier function.
It is Dr. Fasano's team discovery that «
zonulin,» is the molecule which
regulates intestinal permeability (also known as «leaky gut») and their totally ground - breaking research that linked an overproduction of
zonulin (gluten is a clear known trigger for such in celiacs) to the development of a series of autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 diabetes, celiac disease and multiple sclerosis (at least in animals at this point in time).