Publikationsdatenbank

Cannabidiol effects on gastrointestinal tight junction proteins (2023)

Art

Poster

Autoren

Boehm, Elisa (WE 2)

Vollstaedt, Marie L. (WE 2)

Stein, Laura (WE 2)

Droessler, Linda (WE 2)

Amasheh, Salah (WE 2)

Kongress

102th annual meeting of the German Physiological Society

Berlin, 21. – 23.09.2023

Quelle

102th annual meeting of the German Physiological Society : book of abstracts — Deutsche Physiologische Gesellschaft (Hrsg.)

— S. 170–171

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://www.dpg2023.de/wp-content/uploads/DPG2023_AbstractBooklet-2023-09-18_FINAL.pdf

Kontakt

Institut für Veterinär-Physiologie

Oertzenweg 19 b
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62600
physiologie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Question:
Recent studies focusing on effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines and secondary plant compounds on gastrointestinal epithelial barrier function revealed adverse effects on function and integrity of tight junction protein complexes [Cornelius et al., 2022; Droessler et al., 2022]. Moreover, studies were extended to direct tight junction protein interaction studies focusing on Xenopus laevis oocytes as a heterologous expression system [Stein et al., 2022]. In our current study, we aimed to investigate whether cannabidiol (CBD), extracted from Cannabis sativa might positively affect gastrointestinal tight junction proteins.

Methods:
Intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) were seeded on permeable supports, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) was measured using an epithelial volt/ohm meter. Once the cells reached confluency, CBD was applied apically to the cell culture inserts at μM concentrations, and TEER measurements were performed with and without co-incubation with TNF. Cells were then fixed for immunohistochemistry, and protein extraction was performed for immunoblots. Statistical analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA, and statistical significance was determined using Dunnett’s post hoc test (p < 0.05).

Results:
After 8 hours of incubation, 40 μM CBD exhibited significantly higher TEER values compared to controls (**p < 0.01, n = 8). This functional enhancement correlated with an increase in the expression of claudin-4, as observed in immunoblots and immunohistochemical images. Moreover, CBD attenuated a TNF-induced decrease of tight junction proteins. A direct interaction assay employing Xenopus oocytes heterologously expressing gastrointestinal tight junction proteins did not reveal a significant effect (n = 16-20).

Conclusions:
In our study CBD showed a beneficial effect on tight junctions in IPEC-J2 cells, whereas a direct effect on protein-protein interaction of oocytes expressing tight junction proteins could not be observed. The findings demonstrate that CBD enhances the epithelial barrier function of intestinal epithelial cells on a regulatory level. Further experiments may provide insights into selectivity, signaling, and potential therapeutic benefits in intestinal health and disease, especially under inflammatory conditions.