Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), a primary bile acid, has been demonstrated to play important roles as a signaling molecule in various physiology functions. However, the role of CDCA in regulating intestinal barrier function remains largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CDCA on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-impaired intestinal epithelial barrier function and explore the underlying mechanisms. In IPEC-J2 cells, CDCA reversed the LPS-induced increase in transepithelial electrical resistance and decrease in tight junction protein expression. In addition, we found that farnesoid X receptor (FXR) but not Takeda G-protein receptor 5 was responsible for the CDCA-improved epithelial barrier function impaired by LPS. Furthermore, CDCA blocked LPS-induced activation of the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) pathway in a FXR-dependent manner and elicited similar effects to MLCK inhibition. In mice, CDCA supplementation restored LPS-induced elevation of intestinal permeability and MLCK expression and reduction of tight junction protein expression, thus alleviating LPS-induced intestinal barrier impairment. In conclusion, CDCA protected against the LPS-induced impairment of the intestinal epithelial barrier function via the FXR-MLCK pathway.
Keywords: CDCA; FXR; LPS; MLCK; intestinal epithelial barrier.