Gut immunologic mechanism in the improvement of clinical outcome by enteral nutrition

As the largest protective barrier of the body,gastrointestinal tract helps the organism resist the invasion and attacks of harmful substances from the outside world.There are three kinds of protective barriers:mechanical barrier,biotical barrier,and immune barrier.In recent years,increasing researches indicate the importance of gastrointestinal immune barrier and the important immunologic mechanism of enteral nutrition in improving the clinical outcome.This article reviews the effect of gut immunity in the improvement of clinical outcome by enteral nutrition. Key words: Gut immunologic mechanism;  Enteral nutrition;  Innate immunity;  Adaptive immunity;  ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids