Intestinal barrier dysfunction as a therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease.

Intestinal barrier dysfunction as a therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease. . 2020 Sep 28;: Authors: Lewis CV, Taylor WR Abstract The gut microbiome and intestinal dysfunction have emerged as potential contributors to the development of CVD. Alterations in gut microbiome are well documented in hypertension, atherosclerosis and heart failure and have been investigated as a therapeutic target. However, a perhaps underappreciated but related role for intestinal barrier function has become evident. Increased intestinal permeability is observed in patients and mouse models of CVD. This increased intestinal permeability can enhance systemic inflammation, alter gut immune function and has been demonstrated as predictive of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The goal of this review is to examine the evidence supporting a role for intestinal barrier function in cardiovascular disease and its prospect as a novel therapeutic target. We outline key studies that have investigated intestinal permeability in hypertension, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, heart failure and myocardial infarction. We highlight the central mechanisms involved in the breakdown of barrier function and look at emerging evidence for restored barrier function as a contributor to promising treatment strategies such as short chain fatty acid, probiotic and RAS-targeted therapeutics. Recent studies of more selective targeting of the intestinal barrier to improve ...
Source: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Source Type: research