Diet-Induced Gut Barrier Dysfunction Is Exacerbated in Mice Lacking Cannabinoid 1 Receptors in the Intestinal Epithelium

The gut barrier provides protection from pathogens and its function is compromised in diet-induced obesity (DIO). The endocannabinoid system in the gut is dysregulated in DIO and participates in gut barrier function; however, whether its activity is protective or detrimental for gut barrier integrity is unclear. We used mice conditionally deficient in cannabinoid receptor subtype-1 (CB(1)R) in the intestinal epithelium (intCB1−/−) to test the hypothesis that CB(1)Rs in intestinal epithelial cells provide protection from diet-induced gut barrier dysfunction. Control and intCB1−/− mice were placed for eight weeks on a high-fat/sucrose Western-style diet (WD) or a low-fat/no-sucrose diet. Endocannabinoid levels and activity of their metabolic enzymes were measured in the large-intestinal epithelium (LI). Paracellular permeability was tested in vivo, and expression of genes for gut barrier components and inflammatory markers were analyzed. Mice fed WD had (i) reduced levels of endocannabinoids in the LI due to lower activity of their biosynthetic enzymes, and (ii) increased permeability that was exacerbated in intCB1−/− mice. Moreover, intCB1−/− mice fed WD had decreased expression of genes for tight junction proteins and increased expression of inflammatory markers in LI. These results suggest that CB(1)Rs in the intestinal epithelium serve a protective role in gut barrier function in DIO.