Epithelial barrier of the colon in health and patients with ulcerative colitis

Abstract

There is a huge amount of commensal bacteria and food antigens in the large intestine. At the same time, pathogenic microorganisms can enter the intestine. A macroorganism needs to maintain tolerance to the first and develop an effective immune response to the latter. The epithelial barrier of the colon plays the leading role in the realization of this task. Dysfunction of the epithelial barrier leads to the development of an inflammatory response to normal intestinal antigens, which, according to some authors, is the initial mechanism of ulcerative colitis development. This review is dedicated to modern concepts of the structure and function of the epithelial barrier of the colon and its alterations in ulcerative colitis.