Lactobacillus acidophilus causes enhancement of the intestinal tight junction barrier by a toll-like receptor-2-dependent increase in occludin

Abstract

A defective intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) barrier has been implicated as an important pathogenic factor in various gastrointestinal immune disorders, including celiac disease and food allergy. Enhancement of the intestinal TJ barrier might be an important therapeutic target for prevention or treatment of such diseases. Recent studies from our lab showed that Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA), a naturally occurring probiotic bacteria, caused a marked and unique enhancement of the intestinal TJ barrier mediated by toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2).