Impact of Developmental Age, Necrotizing Enterocolitis Associated Stress, and Oral Therapeutic Intervention on Mucus Barrier Properties.

ABSTRACT: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating gastrointestinal disease of incompletely understood pathophysiology predominantly affecting premature infants. While NEC is associated with microbial invasion of intestinal tissues, and mucus modulates interactions between microbes and underlying tissues, variations in mucus barrier properties with NEC-associated risk factors have not been investigated. This study explored differences in mucus composition (total protein, DNA, mucin content, sialic acid, and immunoregulatory proteins), as well as structural and transport properties, assessed by tracking of particles and bacteria (E. coli and E. cloacae) with developmental age and exposure to NEC stressors in Sprague Dawley rats. Early developmental age (5 day old) was characterized by a more

SUBMITTER: Lock JY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7174379 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature