Measurement of Intestinal Permeability in IBD Animal Models

Intestinal epithelial barrier integrity is an important marker of intestinal health. During inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), mucosal barrier defects may lead to increased intestinal permeability, which promotes exposure to substances in the gut and triggers immune responses that promote intestinal inflammation. Intestinal permeability, commonly defined as the measurable diffusion rate of luminal contents across the mucosal barrier into the circulation, is the parameter typically used to assess the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier. barrier. A variety of methods are available for measuring intestinal permeability in experimental colitis models to help study the pathophysiology of IBD and to develop and test pharmacologic treatments.

Fig. 1. The orally gavaged ovalbumin (OVA) assay shows high sensitivity and specificity to detect intestinal barrier dysfunction in a mouse model of DSS-induced colitis. (Tsai et al., 2023)

Our Intestinal Permeability Measurement Service

Ace Therapeutics has extensive experience in measuring intestinal permeability. Our intestinal permeability studies can be performed in animal models of IBD and intestinal tissue from IBD animals can be evaluated in vitro. Our team of experts is dedicated to providing high-quality, reliable data to advance IBD research and drug development.

We have a variety of technology platforms to support intestinal permeability measurements, including chemical staining, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis. We help clients explore the molecular mechanisms underlying proliferative and apoptotic homeostasis, intestinal epithelial tight junctions, and mucus secretion, and evaluate the effects of drug candidates on intestinal permeability.

Ace Therapeutics offers a range of tests to measure intestinal permeability in vivo and ex vivo.

• Fluorescein isothiocyanate–conjugated dextran (FITC-D) is administered by oral gavage to IBD animals to assess gut permeability in vivo and in blood and urine samples.
• The NIR dye IRDye 800CW is used to assess intestinal permeability in a preclinical model of IBD.
• In vivo imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance tomography (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) are available to assess intestinal permeability.
• Assess biomarkers of intestinal permeability, such as the extracellular tight junction (TJ) proteins occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1).
• Use Ussing chamber techniques to measure transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and paracellular flux.

Applications of Our Intestinal Permeability Measurement Service

• Exploration of IBD pathogenesis. Help clients understand how increased intestinal permeability contributes to the pathogenesis of IBD.
• Therapeutic evaluation. Assess the efficacy of new therapeutics by monitoring changes in intestinal permeability.
• Model validation. Ensure the relevance of animal models to human IBD by measuring physiological parameters.

Ace Therapeutics' intestinal permeability measurement services can be customized to meet specific research needs and adapt to a variety of IBD animal models and experimental designs. Our experts can fully analyze and interpret the data to help you understand disease progression and treatment efficacy. Contact us today to learn more.