Epithelia Under Attack: The Skin, Gut, and Respiratory Barriers
By Krishna Patel and Peter Lio, MD Introduction The epithelial barrier is the first line of physical, chemical, and immunological defense against allergens, irritants, pathogens, and other environmental factors. Structural and functional integrity of the epithelial barrier is critical as damaged epithelial barriers are linked to inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.1 The “epithelial barrier hypothesis” proposes […]