Puerarin prevents epithelial tight junction dysfunction induced by ethanol in Caco-2 cell model

Increasing functional food ingredients such as flavonoids have been confirmed to exhibit significant effects on improving the function of intestinal barrier. Puerarin, an isoflavone extracted from Pueraria, was reported to play an active role in many diseases. Our previous research found that puerarin can improve enteritis by increasing mucin secretion and increase intestinal tight connectivity in mice. In this study, Caco-2 cell model was utilized to investigate the protective effects of puerarin on ethanol-induced intestinal tight junction injury. Results exhibited that puerarin could protect the integrity of the Caco-2 monolayer and inhibit the down-regulation of tight junction proteins (Z0-1, Claudin-1 and Occludin) expression induced by ethanol. Moreover, the puerarin administration exerted antagonistic function in regulating the alterations of tight junction related signalling pathways (NF-κB, ERK1 and ERK2) induced by ethanol, which may pave the way for puerarin might function as a candidate supplement to enhance intestinal barrier function.