Enterocytes

Food vitamin B 2 appears to bind to a saUvary transport protein referred to as the R-protein, R-binder, or haptocorrin. In the stomach, R-protein and the intrinsic factor competitively bind the vitamin. Release from the R-protein occurs in the small intestine by the action of pancreatic proteases, leading to specific binding to the intrinsic factor. The resultant complex is transported to the ileum where it is bound to a cell surface receptor and enters the intestinal cell. The vitamin is then freed from the intrinsic factor and bound to transcobalamin II in the enterocyte. The resulting complex enters the portal circulation. 

ABC Transporters. Figure 2 ABC-transporter expression in hepatocytes and enterocytes (modified according to www.iwaki-kk.co.jp/bio/specialedition/se02.htm). 

The first member of this class, acarbose, was introduced in the early 1990s. a-Glucosidase inhibitors slow the intestinal process of carbohydrate digestion by competitive inhibition of the activity of a-glucosidase enzymes located in the brush border of the enterocytes... 

Figure 5. Diagrammatic representation of the cytoskeleton in the apical region of the intestinal epithelial cell (enterocyte). (This diagram is from data previously published for example, see Mooseker, 1985.)...

Bundles of parallel actin filaments with uniform polarity. The microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells (enterocytes) are packed with actin filaments that are attached to the overlying plasma membrane through a complex composed of a 110-kD protein and calmodulin. The actin filaments are attached to each other through fimbrin (68 kD) and villin (95 kD). The actin bundles that emerge out of the roots of microvilli disperse horizontally to form a filamentous complex, the terminal web, in which several cytoskeletal proteins, spectrin (fodrin), myosin, actinin, and tropomyosin are present. Actin in the terminal web also forms a peripheral ring, which is associated with the plasma membrane on the lateral surfaces of the enterocyte (see Figure 5, p. 24). 

Enterocytes in the proximal duodenum are responsible for absorption of iron. Incoming iron in the Fe " state is reduced to Fe " by a ferrireductase present on the surface of enterocytes. Vitamin C in food also favors reduction of ferric iron to ferrous iron. The transfer of iron from the apical surfaces of enterocytes into their interiors is performed by a proton-coupled divalent metal transporter (DMTl). This protein is not specific for iron, as it can transport a wide variety of divalent cations. 

Once inside an enterocyte, iron can either be stored as ferritin or transferred across the basolateral mem-... 

Figure 50-4. Absorption of iron. is converted to Fe + by ferric reductase, and Fe " is transported into the enterocyte by the apicai membrane iron transporter DMTl. Fieme is transported into the enterocyte by a separate heme transporter (HT), and heme oxidase (FiO) reieases Fe from the heme. Some of the intraceiiuiar Fe + is converted to Fe + and bound by ferritin. The remainder binds to the basoiaterai Fe + transporter (FP) and is transported into the biood-stream, aided by hephaestin (FiP). in piasma, Fe + is bound to the iron transport protein transferrin (TF). (Reproduced, with permission, from Ganong WF Review of Medical Physiology, 21 st ed. McGraw-Hill, 2003.)...

Irrespective of the physical form of the carotenoid in the plant tissue it needs to be dissolved directly into the bulk lipid phase (emulsion) and then into the mixed micelles formed from the emulsion droplets by the action of lipases and bile. Alternatively it can dissolve directly into the mixed micelles. The micelles then diffuse through the unstirred water layer covering the brush border of the enterocytes and dissociate, and the components are then absorbed. Although lipid absorption at this point is essentially complete, bile salts and sterols (cholesterol) may not be fully absorbed and are not wholly recovered more distally, some being lost into the large intestine. It is not known whether carotenoids incorporated into mixed micelles are fully or only partially absorbed. 

A small but variable proportion of the carotenoids with one or two P-ionone rings (mainly P-carotene) are cleaved in the enterocytes to produce retinol (vitamin A). This process is very tightly controlled, so that too much vitamin A is not produced, although the control mechanism is not clear. Some cleavage of P-carotene can also occur in the liver, but this does not account for the turnover of P-carotene in the body. Small amounts of carotenoids are subject to enterohepatic circulation, but this does not account for losses. 

Classically, to measure absolute absorption the plasma area imder the curve from an intravenous dose would be compared to that caused by the feeding of an oral dose. However, the carotenoids are lipid-soluble and are normally incorporated in chylomicrons synthesised in the enterocytes, a situation that cannot be replicated and applied to studies in humans because an intravenous preparation that would behave naturally is not possible. 

Although a portion of the nutrients released from feedstuff s is absorbed by diffusing across the apical membrane of enterocytes or through the junctional complexes of adjacent enterocytes (paracellular absorption), the majority of nutrients are absorbed from the lumen of the GIT by carrier proteins that are inserted into the apical membrane of enterocytes and colonocytes. 

Historically, the absorption of lipid-soluble nutrients has been considered to be carrier-independent, with solutes diffusing into enterocytes down concentration gradients. This is true for some lipid-soluble components of plants (e.g. the hydroxytyrosol in olive oil Manna et al., 2000). However, transporters have been reported for several lipid-soluble nutrients. For example, absorption of cholesterol is partly dependent on a carrier-mediated process that is inhibited by tea polyphenols (Dawson and Rudel, 1999) and other phytochemicals (Park et al., 2002). A portion of the decreased absorption caused by tea polyphenols may be due to precipitation of the cholesterol associated with micelles (Ikeda et al., 1992). Alternatively, plant stanols and other phytochemicals may compete with cholesterol for transporter sites (Plat and Mensink, 2002). It is likely that transporters for other lipid-soluble nutrients are also affected by phytochemicals, although this has not been adequately investigated. 

The lower rates of nutrient absorption associated with diets high in nonstarch polysaccharides are probably due to the increased viscosity of digesta (Vaugelade et al., 2000), which increases the thickness of the unstirred layer overlying the enterocytes and causes anon-specific decline in solute absorption. This explains why diets high in 3-glucans, which are structural carbohydrates and which increase viscosity of digesta, reduce absorption of nutrients and... 

The GIT supplements the kidney in the elimination of wastes and toxins. The P-glycoprotein of enterocytes, which is implicated in multi-drug resistance, plays a critical role. This export carrier exhibits varying responses to the different polyphenols present in green tea (Wang et al, 2002), and is inhibited by one or more components of grapefruit juice (Wagner et al, 2001). It is... 

EDWARDS D J, FITZSIMMONS M E, SCHUETZ E G, YASUDA K, DUCHARME M P, WARBASSE L H, WOSTER p M, SCHUETZ J D, WATKINS p (1999) 6, 7 -Dihydroxybergamottm in grapefruit juice and Seville orange juice effects on cyclosporine disposition, enterocyte CYP3A4, and P-glycoprotein. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 65 237-44. 

Glycosides are the predominant forms. Although in humans flavonoids have been shown to be absorbed in their naturally occurring glycosidic forms (Hollman and Katan, 1998), isoflavones are not. It is generally accepted that to be adsorbed by enterocytes across the intestinal wall, isoflavone glycosides... 

In culture, the human colon carcinoma cell hne Caco-2 spontaneously differentiates at confluency into polarized cells with enterocyte-like characteristics. The principle of this approach consists of following the passage of the compound of interest from the apical or lumen-like sides to the basolateral or lymph-hke sides of Caco-2 cells, thus following the absorption of the compound per se. One obhgate step for fat-soluble nutrients such as carotenoids to cross the intestinal barrier is their incorporation into CMs assembled in the enterocytes. Under normal cell culture conditions, Caco-2 cells are unable to form CMs. When supplemented with taurocholate and oleic acid, Caco-2 cells were reported to assemble and secrete CMs. ... 

In this in vitro system, the presence of serum in cell culture medium is not necessary, but the type of transwell is important (the total amount of H-triglycerides secreted was two-fold higher when using 3 pm versus 1 pm pore size transwells), and oleic acid supplementation is required for the formation and secretion of CMs as well as the transport of 3-carotene through Caco-2 cells. Finally, the presence of Tween 40 does not affect CM synthesis and secretion in this in vitro cell culture system. Thus, CMs secreted by Caco-2 cells were characterized as particles rich in newly synthesized H-triglycerides (90% of total secreted) containing apolipoprotein B (30% of total secreted) and H-phospholipids (20% of total secreted) and with an average diameter of 60 nm. These characteristics are close to those of CMs secreted in vivo by enterocytes. ... 

The degree of linkage of a compound may also affect its bioaccessibility in the gut. It is generally admitted that a compound linked with other molecules (e.g., via esterification, glycosylation, etc.) is not absorbed as well as its free form and thus it must be hydrolyzed in the gut in order to be taken up by enterocytes. Due to the presence of hydroxyl or keto groups on their molecules, the xanthophylls (lutein, zeaxanthin, and P-cryptoxanthin) are found in both free and esterified (monoester or diester) forms in nature, but few studies have been conducted to date to assess the bioavailabilities of these esters. 

Production of Mucosal Damage 2.3.1.2.1 Cell culture Stimulated neutrophils are known to be cytotoxic to cells in vitro (Dull et al., 1987 Dallegri et al., 1990 Grisham et al., 1990b). Several in vitro systems have been used to demonstrate oxidative damage to intestinal cells. Xanthine/XO increased Cr release and decreased [ H]thymidine uptake by IEC-18 small intestinal epithelial cell monolayers in a dose-dependent manner (Ma et al., 1991). Rat enterocytes show decreased trypan blue exclusion and increased protein release when incubated with neutrophils stimulated... 

Cell culture Damage to small intestinal epithelial cells by XO can be prevented by SOD and desferrioxamine (Ma et al., 1991), whilst that to rat enterocytes, CaCo cells or rabbit colonic epithelial cells by XO can be decreased by catalase (Baker and Baker, 1990 Baker and Campbell, 1991 Kawabe etal., 1992). 

Baker, S.S. and Campbell, C.L. (1991). Rat enterocyte injury by oxygen-dependent processes. Gastroenterology 101, 716-720. 

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