TRiPs Across Epithelial and Endothelial Barriers in Health and Disease

Life on Earth began 4 billion years ago when primitive prokaryotes isolated themselves from the hostile environment. The challenge was to ensure an optimal balance between protection and separation from the extracellular milieu and efficient exchange of ions, energy sources, and metabolites. This book aims to introduce the reader to the universe of these complex segregated compartments in mammals, focusing on the skin, airways, gut barrier, endometrium, and cardiovascular and urinary systems. It also discusses novel groups of potential molecular candidates for the correction of barrier-related dysfunctions, such as Transient Receptor Potential channels.

Format: Hardback
Length: 257 pages
Publication date: 01 November 2021
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers Inc

When the first primitive prokaryotes successfully separated themselves from the harsh environment some 4 billion years ago, life on Earth began. The first life forms had to strike a delicate balance between two seemingly conflicting goals: protecting themselves from the extracellular environment and efficiently exchanging ions, energy sources, and metabolites with it. As the evolutionary process progressed, more complex challenges emerged, such as how to assign specific cell functions to distinct structures within the cell, known as organelles (such as the nucleus), and how to ensure proper separation of different cell types in multi-cellular organisms while maintaining efficient communication between them.

The human body is remarkably compartmentalized, from the local signals generated and propagated in a highly ordered manner at the cell level to the overall body level. This book aims to introduce the interested reader to the intricate world of these segregated compartments in mammals. It explores how the integrity of various types of barriers, such as endothelial and epithelial, is typically maintained and what can go wrong when these barriers become abnormally low or high in different disease states.

We will focus on several well-studied barriers that are crucial for maintaining a healthy and well-being. In particular, we will delve into the skin, airways, the gut barrier, the endometrium, and the cardiovascular and urinary systems. Throughout the book, special reference will be made to several novel groups of potential molecular candidates for correcting barrier-related disorders.

The origin of life on Earth is a fascinating and complex topic that continues to be studied by scientists and researchers. By understanding the challenges that early life forms faced and the mechanisms that allowed them to survive and thrive, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the incredible diversity and complexity of life on our planet.

ISBN-13: 9781685070205