Modulation of intestinal barrier function by glucocorticoids: Lessons from preclinical models Tena Garitaonaindia, Mireia Arredondo Amador, María Mascaraque Molina, Cristina Martínez Augustín, María Olga Sánchez De Medina López-Huertas, Fermín Glucocorticoid Intestinal barrier function IgA Colitis Stress This work was supported by the "Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Enfermedades Hepaticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd)", belonging to Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain, and grants from: Ministry of Economy and Competitivity, partly with Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER funds [SAF2017-88457-R, AGL2017-85270-R]; "Junta de Andalucia", Spain [CTS235, CTS164]; "Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III", Spain (PI19/00819), co-funded by European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund, "Investing in your future"; "Junta de Castilla y Leon" (SA074P20),Spain; "Fundacio Marato TV3'' (201916-31), Spain; AECC Scientific Foundation (2017/2020), Spain; and "Centro Internacional sobre el Envejecimiento" (OLD-HEPAMARKER, 0348_CIE_6_E), Spain. MAA and MTG were supported by fellowships from the Ministry of Education. MA was supported by a postdoctoral contract with the CIBERehd. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used drugs for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects, but they are associated with multiple adverse effects. Despite their frequent oral administration, relatively little attention has been paid to the effects of GCs on intestinal barrier function. In this review, we present a summary of the published studies on this matter carried out in animal models and cultured cells. In cultured intestinal epithelial cells, GCs have variable effects in basal conditions and generally enhance barrier function in the presence of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF). In turn, in rodents and other animals, GCs have been shown to weaken barrier function, with increased permeability and lower production of IgA, which may account for some features observed in stress models. When given to animals with experimental colitis, barrier function may be debilitated or strengthened, despite a positive anti-inflammatory activity. In sepsis models, GCs have a barrier-enhancing effect. These effects are probably related to the inhibition of epithelial cell proliferation and wound healing, modulation of the microbiota and mucus production, and interference with the mucosal immune system. The available information on underlying mechanisms is described and discussed. 2022-05-13T10:40:10Z 2022-05-13T10:40:10Z 2022-01-04 journal article Mireia Tena-Garitaonaindia... [et al.]. Modulation of intestinal barrier function by glucocorticoids: Lessons from preclinical models, Pharmacological Research, Volume 177, 2022, 106056, ISSN 1043-6618, [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106056] http://hdl.handle.net/10481/74824 10.1016/j.phrs.2022.106056 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/ open access Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 España Elsevier