The activity of phospholipase (PL)A2 is elevated in the intestinal epithelia of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recently, we reported that lysophosphatidylcholine (L-PC), the PLA2 hydrolysis product of phosphatidylcholine (PC), stimulates bacterial translocation (BT) in an enterocyte cell-culture model. These two observations stimulated us to examine the effects of extracellular PLA2 on intestinal epithelial permeability. Human Caco-2 enterocytes were grown to confluence on porous filters in the apical chamber of a two-chamber cell-culture system. Monolayer integrity and tight-junction permeability were measured by dextran blue (DB) permeability and transepithelial electric resistance (TEER). Monolayers were treated with PC, L-PC, or PLA2 with and without PC. The magnitude of BT was determined 2 h after treatment by adding Escherichia coli to the apical chamber followed by quantitatively culturing basal chamber samples. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was utilized to verify PLA2 hydrolysis of PC to L-PC. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance. The magnitude of BT across monolayers pretreated with PLA2 + PC significantly increased compared to either PC or PLA2 (6.83 +/- 0.069, 2.41 +/- 0.46, and 3.06 +/- 1.14 log10 colony forming units/ml, respectively, P < 0.05). Absence of DB-permeability in any group confirmed monolayer integrity. TLC of PL samples harvested from the apical monolayer surface confirmed PC hydrolysis. PLA2 mediates hydrolysis of PC to L-PC when both are applied to the apical surface of cultured enterocyte monolayers, resulting in increased BT and increased TEER with no damage to monolayer integrity. These observations may have implications in the pathogenesis and treatment strategies for IBD.

The activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is elevated in the intestinal epithelia of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We recently reported that PLA2 mediates hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) to lysophosphatidylcholine (L-PC) when both are applied to the apical surface of cultured EC monolayers, resulting in increased bacterial translocation (BT) and decreased transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Free fatty acids (FFA) are the other products of this reaction, however, their effect on Caco-2 cell permeability has not been reported. In addition to PC, other luminal phospholipids are present at the surface of the enterocyte. PLA2 may also mediate the hydrolysis of luminal phospholipids other than PC. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of phospholipids other than PC and common FFA on intestinal epithelial permeability and BT. Human Caco-2 enterocytes were grown to confluence on porous filters in the apical chamber of a two-chamber cell-culture system. Monolayer integrity and tight-junction permeability were measured as TEER. First, common FFA released by PC hydrolysis were determined using thin-layer chromatography (TLC). In separate experiments, monolayers were treated with phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (L-PE), or palmitoleic acid, oleic acids, linoleic acids, and arachidonic acid solubilized in solution with PC. The magnitude of BT was determined 2 h after treatment by adding Escherichia coli C25 to the apical chamber followed by quantitatively culturing basal-chamber samples. Statistical analysis was by the Kurosaki-Wallis test. TLC of PC samples incubated with PLA2 on the apical surface of Caco-2 monolayers demonstrated the production of palmitoleic acid, oleic acids, linoleic acids, and arachidonic acid. L-PE significantly decreased TEER compared to controls, but to a lesser degree than L-PC alone. L-PE had no effects on BT. Palmitoleic acid and oleic acid likewise significantly decreased TEER compared to controls, however, less than L-PC. All FFA tested had no effect on BT. Phospholipids applied to the apical surface of enterocytes, such as those found in vivo in mucus, can be hydrolyzed by the enzyme PLA2 resulting in lysophospholipid and FFA species that can alter enterocyte monolayer permeability. However, FFA and L-PL, other than L-PC, appear to have no effect to stimulate BT. This observation may have clinical implications in the pathogenesis and treatment strategies for IBD patients in whom enterocyte PLA2 activity has been shown to be elevated.

The activity of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) is elevated in the intestinal epithelia of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. We recently reported that PLA(2) mediates the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) to lysophosphatidylcholine (L-PC) when both are applied to the apical surface of cultures enterocyte monolayers, resulting in increased bacterial translocation (BT) and decreased transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). However, the mechanism by which the converted L-PC affects tight-junction permeability (TJP) as reflected by decreased TEER is unknown. There are some reports that protein kinase C (PKC) or Ca(2+) mediate TJP in enterocyte monolayer models. To investigate whether the observed change in TJP was mediated via PKC or Ca(2+) in our Caco-2 monolayer model, human Caco-2 enterocytes were grown to confluence on porous filters in the apical chamber of a two-chamber cell culture system. The filters were then transferred to an Ussing chamber for precise, real-time resistance measurements. After 30 min equilibration, PC (0.1 or 1 mM) and L-PC (0.01, 0.1 or 1 mM), PMA 200 or 300 nM (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, PCK activator), or staurosporine 12 nM (PKC inhibitor) were added to the apical chamber and TEER was measured every 20 s for 2 h. The concentration of intracellular free Ca(2+) in the monolayers before and after treatment with L-PC (1 mM) was measured by fluorometry of whole monolayers using the fluorescent calcium indicator fura-2. Neither PC at any dose nor the 0.01-mM L-PC dose had an effect on TEER. The 0.1-mM dose of L-PC had its greatest effect (47% +/- 3.5% reduction in TEER vs control) within 6 min following its addition, with TEER recovery to control levels (100%) at 2 h ( P < 0.05). The 1-mM dose of L-PC had its greatest effect (6% +/- 0.5% reduction in TEER vs control) within 3 min after its addition, but the TEER did not recover to control levels after 2 h of incubation ( P < 0.05). The addition of 200 or 300 nM PMA inhibited the observed recovery of TEER by L-PC. Conversely, the addition of 12 nM staurosporine enhanced TEER recovery to control levels. The 1-mM dose of L-PC increased the concentration of intracellular free Ca(2+) immediately after the addition of L-PC. These results suggest that L-PC alters TJP via a PKC/Ca(2+) interaction in our Caco-2 monolayer model.