SLC26A3 and necrotizing enterocolitis: However, the reduction in the fecal levels for claudin-3 and SLC26A3 observed herein is more puzzling, since claudin-3 was reported to increase in the urine of neonates with NEC [68], and the expression of SLC26A3, an intestinal brush border chloride anion, is drastically reduced in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and has recently been shown to regulate epithelial barrier integrity [69].