Objective: To study the mechanisms of cold exposure mediated ileum mechanical barrier injury in mice. Methods: Twenty mice were randomly divided into the control and cold exposure groups. Both the control and cold exposure groups were placed in the climate room with (24±2)℃ and 40% humidity. The mice in the cold exposure group were moved to the climate room at (4±2)℃ every day for 3 hours for three consecutive weeks. Three weeks later, the ileum tissues of mice were collected. Changes in ileum tissue structure were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson staining. The related protein expression levels of the tight junction, inflammatory cytokines, and the NF-κB pathway were detected by Western blot. Results: Compared with the control group, the circular muscle layer of the ileum in cold exposed mice became thin, a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated, the length of villi became short, the depth of recess was increased, and tissue fibrosis appeared. The expression levels of ideal tight junction-associated proteins in cold exposed mice were decreased significantly (P＜0.05), while the protein expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and phosphorescent p65 were increased significantly (P＜0.05). Conclusion: Cold exposure can damage the tight junction of the mouse ileum, destroy the integrity of the mechanical barrier and activate the NF-κB signaling pathway to promote the occurrence of the inflammatory response.
目的: 研究冷暴露介导小鼠回肠机械屏障损伤及其机制。方法: 将20只小鼠随机分为对照组和冷暴露组,每组10只。对照组和冷暴露组均置于(24±2)℃,湿度为40%的气候室内,冷暴露组小鼠每日移至(4±2)℃的气候室内3 h,连续冷暴露三周。三周后采集小鼠回肠组织,通过苏木素伊红染色、Masson染色观察小鼠回肠组织结构变化,通过Western blot检测回肠组织紧密连接、炎症细胞因子、核因子-κB通路的相关蛋白表达水平。结果: 与对照组相比,冷暴露小鼠回肠组织环形肌层变薄,大量的炎症细胞浸润、绒毛长度变短,隐窝深度增大,出现组织纤维化;与对照组比较,冷暴露小鼠的回肠紧密连接相关蛋白表达水平均显著下调(P＜0.05),白细胞介素-1β、白细胞介素-6、p-p65蛋白表达水平均显著上调(P＜0.05)。结论: 冷暴露能够损伤小鼠回肠组织紧密连接,破坏机械屏障的完整性,其机制与激活NF-κB信号通路,促进炎症反应的发生有关。.
Keywords: NF-κB pathway; cold exposure; ileum; tight junction.