AMM presentation on TJ's

2. WHAT EXACTLY IS A TIGHT JUNCTION
• Openstax states:
• ”A tight junction,which separates the cells into apical and basal compartments and is at
one end of the spectrum.”(p.143)
• “When two adjacent epithelial cells form a TJ, there is no extracellular space between
them and the movement of substances through the extracellular space between the cells
is blocked.”(p.143)
• “The epithelia forms a protective barrier and has a selective permeability.”(p. 143)

3. EXAMPLES OF TIGHT JUNCTIONS
FOUND IN HUMANS
•Intestinal Barrier
•Blood Brain Barrier

4. Intestinal Barrier
•Perlmutter & Loberg, 2015) explains the importance of the brain-­gut
connection and the issues that occur when the barrier is broken.
•According to Perlmutter & Loberg. (2015) “Your gastrointestinal tract,
from the esophagus to the anus is lined with one single layer of
epithelial cells. This cellular layer represents a critical interface
between you and your environment(“inside” vs. outside”) (p. 54)

5. Intestinal Barrier cont.
•Perlmutter & Loberg. 2015) state the following:
•The intestinal lining, the largest mucosal surface has three functions.
1. ”Serves as the vehicle or mechanism by which you obtain nutrients from the food you eat.”(p.53)
2. “Blocks the entrance into the bloodstream of potentially harmful particles, chemicals, bacteria, and other
organism that can pose a threat to your health.”(p.53)
3. “Contains chemicals called immunoglobulins that bind to bacteria and foreign proteins to prevent them
from attaching to your gut’s lining.”(p.53)

6. • There are two pathways the body uses to absorb nutrients from
the gut.
1. Transcellular pathway -­nutrients move through the epithelial cells (p.54)
2. Paracellular pathway – nutrients pass between the epithelial cells. (p.54)
DID YOU KNOW?

7. • Perlmutter & Loberg. (2015) define the parameters of a leaky gut:
• A “leaky gut” is caused by problems of the competency of these tight
junctions, which is a intricate systems and highly regulated.
• This tight junction measures 10 to 15 angstrom.
• The problem with a “leaky gut” is your gut permeability is compromised, and
now foreign invaders aren’t kept out, and your body is ineffective at allowing
nutrients to pass.(p. 54)
DID YOU KNOW?

8. THE BIG PICTURE
• According to Perlmutter & Loberg. (2015) “These intestinal tight junctions
serve as the gate keepers and to a large extent, determine a set point of
inflammation-­ your bodies baseline level of inflammation at a given
time.”(p. 54)
• When your bodies has the itis(increased levels of inflammation), you are
susceptible to a wide variety of health issues.(p. 54)

9. HEALTH ISSUES
qRheumatoid arthrititis
qFood allergies
qAsthma
qEczema
qCeliac disease
qInflammatory Bowel
qHIV
qCystic Fibrosis
qDiabetes
qAutism
qAlzheimer’s
qParkinson’s
Perlmutter & Loberg, 2015. p. 54)

10. References
Perlmutter, D.H. & Loberg, K. (2015) Brain Maker: The power
of gut microbes to heal and protect your brain – for life.
New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
Openstax. (2016) Anatomy & Physiology. Openstax Cnx.