Circulating Zonulin Correlates with Density of Enteroviruses and Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells in the Small Bowel Mucosa of Celiac Disease Patients

Background Impaired intestinal integrity, including increased permeability of the small bowel mucosa, has been shown in patients with celiac disease (CD) as well as with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Zonulin (ZO, pre-haptoglobin), a tight junction regulator, plays a particular role in the regulation of intestinal barrier function and in the pathogenesis of the above-mentioned diseases.