Obesity-Linked Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis Associated with Derangements in Gut Permeability and Intestinal Cellular Homeostasis Independent of Diet

Figure 1

Gut permeability and intestinal structural changes are associated with mucin-tight junction formation independent of dietary differences. (a) Gut permeability (diffusion of FITC-dextran; 4 KDa from gut to blood) increased obese mice compared to B6 control. (b) Expression of mucin (Muc2 and Muc6) and tight junction- (occludin-, Zo1-, and Jam-) forming genes significantly decreased in Lep^ob/ob intestine than B6 mice. (c, d) Western blot analyses of Zo1, occludin, and tubulin in intestinal tissues. (e–g) Hematoxylin and eosin (20x) staining for the small intestine (ileum) (e), decreased length of villi (f), and increased crypt (g) in obese mice. Values presented here are average ± SEM. values are defined as , , and .

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