“Leaky Gut” Is Real and Might Contribute to Disease

The tight cell–cell junctions in the gut epithelium control the passage of water, various molecules, cells, and organisms from the gut lumen into the tissues and circulation. We have assumed that this barrier is hard to breach. However, recent evidence has shown that it can become more permeable (“leaky”), with pathological consequences, and three new reports support that conclusion.

One research group showed that a defective gene, known to be a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), makes the gut more leaky and allows excess translocation of gut bacteria and bacterial products, with resultant inflammation. Another group showed that a particular bacterial pathogen, Enterococcus gallinarum, can breach the gut epithelial barrier and…