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							| Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007



	

				
						
 
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																Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007
										

				


				
				
					
					
						
																					
				
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					Vol. 15 No. 11 (2025): November 2025
				
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									Research Articles
							
		



	
		  	 

		
	
		Differential protective effects of whole and skimmed whey on LPS-induced barrier dysfunction and inflammation in Caco-2/TC7 cells
	


	
	
		

							
					Authors

						
							
								Elena Layunta
							
																																		
	
							
								 Laura García
							
																																		
	
							
								Sofía Gimeno
							
																																		
	
							
								Jaime Martínez
							
																																		
	
							
								Lourdes Sánchez
							
																																		
	
							
								Laura Gras
							
																																		


				
			
																	
					
												DOI:
					

					
						
							https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v15i11.1774
						
					
				
			

						
										
					Abstract

					Background: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria disrupts intestinal epithelial integrity and promotes inflammation, contributing to the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal disorders. Dairy-based whey products are rich in bioactive compounds with known barrier-protective and immunomodulatory properties. 

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two types of bovine whey — bovine whole whey (BWW) and bovine skimmed whey (BSW) — on LPS-induced barrier dysfunction and inflammation in the intestinal in vitro model Caco-2/TC7 cells. 

Methods: Caco-2/TC7 cell line was exposed to 20 µg/ml LPS for 24h to induce epithelial barrier disruption. Additionally, cells were treated with 5 mg/ml BWW or 5 mg/ml BSW alone, or in combination with 20 µg/ml LPS. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), FITC-dextran permeability, and mRNA expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins (ZO-1, claudin-1, claudin-3, occludin) and inflammation-related genes (IL-1R, COX-2, iNOS) were assessed. 

Results: LPS significantly reduced TEER without increasing macromolecular permeability or altering TJ gene expression. Both whey fractions restored TEER to control levels, with BSW also enhancing baseline barrier integrity. BWW and BSW upregulated ZO-1 and claudin-1 mRNA expression, though claudin-1 was downregulated when BSW was combined with LPS. Importantly, only BWW normalized LPS-induced overexpression of IL-1R, COX-2, and iNOS, indicating better anti-inflammatory properties likely due to its retained lipid components.

Conclusion: Both whey fractions reinforce epithelial barrier function under LPS challenge, but only whole whey (BWW) provides dual protection by also attenuating inflammatory responses. These findings support the potential of whole whey as a functional food ingredient for intestinal health by targeting both physical and immunological aspects of barrier dysfunction.

Keywords: bovine whey, LPS, intestinal permeability, tight junction proteins, inflammation

				
			
			

						
																																																						
						
		


		

						
										
					
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																			2025-11-17
																	

				
							

			
						
										

											
							
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									Vol. 15 No. 11 (2025): November 2025
								
							

						
					
											
							
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																										Copyright (c) 2025 Elena Layunta,  Laura García, Sofía Gimeno, Jaime Martínez, Lourdes Sánchez, Laura Gras

														This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.

By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained.

				

			
			

		

	




	




	


							



	

	

					
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