2.5. Evaluation of Gut Permeability Biomarkers
The levels of zonulin, LPS, and occludin were measured as markers of gut permeability.The zonulin levels in serum samples and cell culture media, serum LPS levels, and plasma occludin levels were measured using commercial ELISA kits (Elabscience, Houston, TX, USA, Cusabio, Houston, TX, USA, and Novus Biologicals Centennial, CO, USA, respectively). Values are expressed as ng/mL for zonulin, pg/mL for LPS, and ng/mL for occludin.All assays were conducted according to the manufacturer’s instructions and intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were within 10% for each assay.