Quercetin ameliorates HIV-1 gp120 protein-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction by inhibiting the activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway in a Caco-2 cell model

Key Points

• The aim is to investigate how quercetin impacts intestinal barrier dysfunction linked to HIV-1 gp120 infection.
• Utilized a Caco-2 cell model to simulate intestinal barrier conditions.
• Assessed tight junction protein levels after gp120 exposure.
• Analyzed the activation of the ERK1/2-MLCK signaling pathway in response to treatment with quercetin.
• Quercetin effectively restored tight junction protein levels altered by gp120.
• Inhibition of the ERK1/2-MLCK pathway was observed with quercetin treatment.
• Demonstrated improvement in intestinal barrier integrity compared to untreated cells.