Table 5 Means for the assessment of intestinal permeability (biomarkers, histology)
From: Intestinal permeability – a new target for disease prevention and therapy
Means | Hu | An | Test molecules | Test site | Material needed | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In vivo – biomarkers of epithelial cell damage | ||||||
Citrulline | x | x | endogenous ep product | small intestine | plasma | |
FABP | x | x | endogenous ep marker | site- specific | plasma | only in acute phase? |
αGST | x | x | endogenous ep enzyme | n.a. | plasma, urine | only in acute phase? |
Claudin-3 | x | x | ep tight junction protein | n.a. | urine | limited data |
In vivo – other biomarkers | ||||||
Fecal calprotectin | x | (x) | neutrophil release product | colon | feces | unspecific marker of gut inflammation |
α1-anti- trypsin test | x | (x) | endogenous amino acid | small intestine | feces/ serum | unclear specificity |
sIgA | x | x | IgA (ELISA) | whole intestine | serum | low specificity |
In vivo – histological approaches | ||||||
Tight junction expression | x | x | RNA (qPCR), Western blot | site- specific | biopsies | invasive |
Goblet cell analysis | x | x | histology | site- specific | biopsies | invasive |
Shedding of epithelium | x | x | histology | site- specific | biopsies | invasive |
Paneth cell loss** | x | x | histology | site- specific | biopsies | invasive |
Defensins | RNA (qPCR), Western blot | site- specific | biopsies | invasive | ||
Mucus analysis*** | histology/ staining | site- specific | biopsies | invasive | ||