Vitamin D Strengthens the Bladder Epithelial Barrier by Inducing Tight Junction Proteins During E. Coli Urinary Tract Infection

Overview

Journal Cell Tissue Res

Specialties Anatomy & Histology
Cell Biology

Date 2020 Jan 14

PMID 31930458

Citations 17

Authors

Soumitra Mohanty

Witchuda Kamolvit

Olof Hertting

Annelie Brauner

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Tight junction proteins are pivotal to prevent bacterial invasion of the epithelial barrier. We here report that supplementation with vitamin D can strengthen the urinary bladder lining. Vitamin D deficient and sufficient mice were infected with Escherichia coli (E. coli) transurethrally to cause urinary tract infection. In addition, bladder biopsies were obtained from postmenopausal women before and after a 3-month period of supplementation with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) and ex vivo infected with E. coli. In biopsies, obtained before E. coli infection, vitamin D had no impact on tight junction proteins. However, during E. coli infection, vitamin D induced occludin and claudin-14 in mature superficial umbrella cells of the urinary bladder, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Increased cell-cell adhesion consolidating the epithelial integrity is thereby promoted. We here describe a novel role of vitamin D in the urinary tract supporting vitamin D supplementation to restore the bladder epithelial integrity.

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