Abstract
In this study, the intestinal permeability of metal(loid)s (MLs) such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) was examined, as influenced by gut microbes and chelating agents using an in vitro gastrointestinal/Caco-2 cell intestinal epithelium model. The results showed that in the presence of gut microbes or chelating agents, there was a significant decrease in the permeability of MLs (As-7.5%, Cd-6.3%, Pb-7.9% and Hg-8.2%) as measured by apparent permeability coefficient value (Papp), with differences in ML retention and complexation amongst the chelants and the gut microbes. The decrease in ML permeability varied amongst the MLs. Chelating agents reduce intestinal absorption of MLs by forming complexes thereby making them less permeable. In the case of gut bacteria, the decrease in the intestinal permeability of MLs may be associated to a direct protection of the intestinal barrier against the MLs or indirect intestinal ML sequestration by the gut bacteria through adsorption on bacterial surface. Thus, both gut microbes and chelating agents can be used to decrease the intestinal permeability of MLs, thereby mitigating their toxicity.
Highlights
In this study, the intestinal permeability of metal(loid)s (MLs) such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) was examined, as influenced by gut microbes and chelating agents using an in vitro gastrointestinal/Caco-2 cell intestinal epithelium model
The mass balance indicated that the total recovery of ML in the Caco-2 technique ranged from 89.7 to 105.3%, and there was a slight decrease in the recovery in the presence of gut bacteria
The process of absorption may be impacted by the ML binding with gut microbes or by competition with compounds that reduce its solubility or its passage through the epithelium
Summary
The intestinal permeability of metal(loid)s (MLs) such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) was examined, as influenced by gut microbes and chelating agents using an in vitro gastrointestinal/Caco-2 cell intestinal epithelium model. Several researchers used Caco-2 cells to study absorption mechanisms and to evaluate the permeability of drugs, nutrients, and minerals through the intestinal cells[3,7,8]. The in vitro bioavailability study is usually carried out through assessing the concentration of compounds present in simulated gastrointestinal media and their b ioaccessibility[1] This approach of measuring bioavailability can be improved using Caco-2 cell model, which mimics the process of intestinal cell retention and transport[5,9]. Active transport involves active carrier mediated transportation and the use of energy to transport specific substrates across barriers, even against the concentration g radient[20]
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