Furthermore, intraperitoneal administration of ERCs to DSS-induced colitis mice significantly upregulated the levels of ZO-1 (Figure 3F, ERCs-treated group vs. untreated group, P<0.05), occludin (Figure 3G, ERCs-treated group vs. untreated group, P<0.0001), and claudin-1 (Figure 3H, ERCs-treated group vs. untreated group, P<0.001), which are TJ associated proteins that play a vital role in intestinal homeostasis. Here, OCLN is linked to colitis.