associatedModerate evidence
Inflammatory bowel disease
A defective or penetrable mucus layer is associated with colitis and inflammatory bowel disease in experimental and human studies.1
Glycome Atlas
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Glycome Atlas
concept
Also known as gut mucus barrier, colonic mucus layer, mucus barrier
Plain-language answer
The intestinal mucus barrier is a slippery gel that lines the gut. In the colon it is arranged in two layers: a dense inner layer that keeps bacteria away from the gut wall, and a looser outer layer where helpful microbes live.1
This barrier separates trillions of gut bacteria from your tissue. When it thins or breaks down, bacteria reach the gut lining and drive inflammation, which is a feature of colitis and inflammatory bowel disease.1
Technical detail
The intestinal mucus barrier is a MUC2-based hydrogel that in the colon stratifies into a firmly attached, largely bacteria-free inner layer and a looser outer layer colonized by the microbiota, providing spatial segregation between microbes and epithelium.1
Goblet cells secrete MUC2, which polymerizes into a stratified gel; the inner colonic layer excludes bacteria while the expanded outer layer provides habitat and glycan nutrients for commensals.1
Thinning, altered glycosylation, or excessive microbial degradation of the mucus layer permits bacterial contact with the epithelium and is associated with intestinal inflammation.1
Human relevance
A defective or penetrable mucus layer is associated with colitis and inflammatory bowel disease in experimental and human studies.1
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References