TY - JOUR T1 - Stress Impairs Murine Intestinal Barrier Function: Improvement by Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 JF - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther SP - 214 LP - 220 DO - 10.1124/jpet.105.085373 VL - 314 IS - 1 AU - Heather L. Cameron AU - Mary H. Perdue Y1 - 2005/07/01 UR - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/314/1/214.abstract N2 - Stress-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction may be involved in chronic intestinal disorders. Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is an intestinotrophic growth hormone that can rapidly improve intestinal epithelial barrier function. Here, we investigated whether mouse intestine is responsive to chronic psychological stress and whether pretreatment with GLP-2 can ameliorate stress-induced changes. Mice were subjected to water avoidance stress (WAS; 1 h/day for 10 days) with GLP-2 or saline administered 4 h before each WAS session. After the final stress period, the intestine was removed for assessment of physiological/morphological changes. Compared with controls (sham-stressed mice), stressed mice demonstrated enhanced ion secretion and permeability in the jejunum, ileum, and colon. In addition, increased numbers of bacteria were observed adhering to and/or penetrating the epithelium, associated with infiltration of mononuclear cells into the mucosa. GLP-2 treatment improved intestinal barrier function in stressed mice and ameliorated other aspects of impaired host defense. Our study extends previous findings in rats of stress-induced intestinal dysfunction and provides insights into potential novel therapeutics. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics ER -