Effects of Vitamin D-Deficient Diet on Intestinal Epithelial Integrity and Zonulin Expression in a C57BL/6 Mouse Model.

Vitamin D (VD) plays an important role not only in mineral balance and skeletal maintenance but also in immune modulation. VD status was found correlated with the pathophysiology and severity of inflammatory bowel diseases and other autoimmune disorders. Epithelial barrier function is primarily regulated by the tight-junction (TJ) proteins.

Modulations of probiotics on gut microbiota in a 5-fluorouracil-induced mouse model of mucositis.

Background And Aim: Intestinal mucositis remained one of the most deleterious complications in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. 5-FU treatment was reported to affect the abundance of gut microbiota and cause mucositis, which might be ameliorated by probiotics. We investigate the potential changes of 5-FU treatment and the modulations of probiotics on gut microbiota in a mouse model.