ArticlePloS one2013
Commensal bacteria-dependent indole production enhances epithelial barrier function in the colon.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 217 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
217 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 414 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gut microbiota bridges dietary nutrients and host immunity.Science China. Life sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Gut microbiota shaping fatty liver disease progression.Life science alliance · 2027Review
- Bridging the gap:Gut microbes · 2026Review
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- Gut mucosal barrier: the frontline of bidirectional regulation of the gut-X axis.Medical review (2021) · 2026Review
- Prevention of Intestinal Inflammation and Gut Dysbiosis by Prebiotic Grape Seed Flour in Mice with DSS-Induced Colitis.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Tracing NADCell reports · 2026Article
- Gut microbial composition modulates endogenous food-specific CD4+ T cells in food allergy.Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota and their role in male reproductive health.NPJ science of food · 2026Review
- Cell Signaling by Tryptophan Catabolism.Biochemistry · 2026Review
- pH regulates gut bacterial tryptophan metabolism.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- RhoA/ROCK signaling as a potential convergent pathway in microbiota-gut-brain axis-related cognitive impairment.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites: molecular mechanisms, nutritional strategies and implications for swine health.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Review
- Microbial tryptophan metabolites modulate blood-brain and gut barriersNeuroscience applied · 2026Article
- Osteoporosis and gut microbiota: current understandings.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Tracing NADResearch square · 2025Article
- Advances in the acting mechanism and treatment of gut microbiota in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.Gut microbes · 2025Review
- Metabolomics and metagenomics in mice reveal the role of the gut microbiota in tryptophan metabolism.iScience · 2025Article
- Effect of Tryptophan Supplementation Levels on the Cecal Microbial Composition, Growth Performance, Immune Function and Antioxidant Capacity in Broilers.Metabolites · 2025Article
157 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Microbiota have been shown to have a great influence on functions of intestinal epithelial cells (ECs). The role of indole as a quorum-sensing (QS) molecule mediating intercellular signals in bacteria has been well appreciated. However, it remains unknown whether indole has beneficial effects on maintaining intestinal barriers in vivo. In this study, we analyzed the effect of indole on ECs using a germ free (GF) mouse model. GF mice showed decreased expression of junctional complex molecules in colonic ECs. The feces of specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice contained a high amount of indole; however the amount was significantly decreased in the feces of GF mice by 27-fold. Oral administration of indole-containing capsules resulted in increased expression of both tight junction (TJ)- and adherens junction (AJ)-associated molecules in colonic ECs in GF mice. In accordance with the increased expression of these junctional complex molecules, GF mice given indole-containing capsules showed higher resistance to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. A similar protective effect of indole on DSS-induced epithelial damage was also observed in mice bred in SPF conditions. These findings highlight the beneficial role of indole in establishing an epithelial barrier in vivo.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.