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. 2010 Jul 14;2(7):1848–1880. doi: 10.3390/toxins2071848

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© 2010 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

PMC Copyright notice

Mechanisms of TcdA- and TcdB-mediated enterotoxicity. TcdA and TcdB cause intestinal damage and inflammation by direct actions on intestinal epithelial cells, leading to chemokine release, cell rounding and apoptosis or necrosis. Alternatively, the toxins may target immune cells and neurons once the intestinal epithelial barrier is disrupted. The toxins may also act indirectly by stimulating cells to produce chemokine, proinflammatory cytokine, neuropeptides, and other mediators. IL-8: interleukin-8; MIP-2: macrophage inflammatory protein-2; SP: substance P; CGRP: calcitonin gene-related peptide; NT: neurotensin; PAF: Platelet-activating factor; LC4: Leukotriene C4; ROS: Reactive oxygen species.