intestinal barrier
Type: concept Aliases: gut barriertight junctionsintestinal permeability
- Systems Analogy A single-cell protective wall lining your gut that lets nutrients in while blocking harmful bacteria.
- Formal Definition The mucosal epithelial layer and associated tight junction complexes of the gastrointestinal tract that selectively regulate nutrient absorption while blocking pathogens and macromolecules.
Mentioned In
- Biological CircuitsGut Dysbiosis & Microglial Priming in Alzheimer's
Scientific Sources & Literature Citations
- [1] Empirical Study Turner JR. Intestinal mucosal barrier function in health and disease. Nat Rev Immunol. 2009;9(11):799-809. ↗
"The intestinal barrier prevents the crossing of luminal antigens while facilitating the transport of nutrients and solutes."