肠神经胶质细胞:炎症性肠病中肠上皮屏障的有力维护者

Enteric glial cells: Powerful guardian of intestinal epithelial barrier in inflammatory bowel disease

肠上皮在外环境和宿主间组成了一个生理和功能屏障.一旦这个屏障的紧密性被破坏,就会持续启动炎症性疾病和组织损伤.在肠上皮细胞下有一群星状细胞名为肠神经胶质细胞,通过分泌多种介质和调节肠神经元活性,阻止微生物和其他致病原从黏膜扩散,对肠上皮屏障内稳态和完整性起了关键作用.在这篇综述中我们将会描述肠神经胶质细胞对肠屏障的调节功能以及在炎症性肠病中的保护性作用.

The intestinal epithelium constitutes a physical and functional barrier between the external environment and the host organism. Once the integrity of this barrier is disrupted, inflammatory disorders and tissue injury are initiated and perpetuated. Beneath the intestinal epithelial cells lies a population of astrocyte-like cells that are known as enteric glia cells（EGCs）. They play a key role in maintaining the homeostasis and integrity of intestinal epithelial barrier by secretion of some mediators and modulation of enteric neuronal activities. In this review, we will describe the functional roles of enteric glia cells in the intestinal barrier, and highlight the protective action of EGCs in inflammatory bowel disease.