Upregulated Tβ4 expression in inflammatory bowel disease impairs the intestinal mucus barrier by inhibiting autophagy in mice

Hao M, Zhong K, Bai X, Wu S, Li L, He Y, Wang Z, Sun X, Wang Q, Guo Y, Sun Y, Wu L · Experimental Cell Research

Injected Tβ4 damaged the colonic mucus barrier, suppressed mucin-2, disrupted tight junctions and downregulated autophagy — an administered-peptide harm signal in a tissue nobody was targeting.

Population

Mice with DSS-induced colitis; Caco-2 cells and normal human colon tissue

Intervention

Intraperitoneal thymosin β4

Comparator

Untreated mice

Limitations

One mouse colitis model; the doses and route are not those used in human trials, and no human gastrointestinal signal has been reported.