Both miraculin and mogroside V upregulated tight junction genes (CLDN2, CLDN3, CLDN7, CLDN10) and gap junction genes (GJA1, GJA3, GJA4, GJA5), whilst also modulating adhesion-associated genes, CAV1, ITGB3, DLL1, and DSG3. Notably, CLDN2 induction, as seen with miraculin and mogroside V, is a hallmark of leaky epithelia, frequently observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), where it increases paracellular cation permeability and undermines barrier tightness28. This evidence concerns the gene GJA4 and inflammatory bowel disease.