Reduced epithelial sodium channel function might contribute to chronic diarrhea in inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction: The incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) has increased significantly in the last decades. Recent data indicate that abnormal Na+ transport contributes to diarrhea, a leading symptom in patients with IBD. The aim of this study was to compare epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)-mediated ion transport in enterocytes isolated from individuals with and without IBD. Materials and methods: Crypts of Lieberkühn were isolated from biopsies taken from patients with Crohn-disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), as well as from control subjects. Cells were seeded on glass coverslips covered by Matrige…