Protective Effects of Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecule-2 on the Barrier Function of Intestinal Epithelial Cells

To investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of carbon monoxide-releasing molecule-2 (CORM-2) on barrier function of intestinal epithelial cells. at different time points after LPS treatment. The permeability changes were also measured using FITC-dextran. The levels of tight junction (TJ) proteins (occludin and ZO-1) and myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation were detected using Western blotting with specific antibodies. The subsequent structural changes of TJ were visualized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).CORM-2 significantly reduced LPS-induced secretion of TNF-α and IL-1β. The LPS-induced decrease of TER and increase of permeability to FITC-dextran were inhibited by CORM-2 in a concentration dependent manner (P