Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Mar 12:15:1825-1844.
doi: 10.2147/JIR.S353038. eCollection 2022.

Immunology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutics

Affiliations
Review

Immunology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutics

Quan Lu et al. J Inflamm Res. .

Abstract

As a main digestive organ and an important immune organ, the intestine plays a vital role in resisting the invasion of potential pathogens into the body. Intestinal immune dysfunction remains important pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this review, we explained the interactions among symbiotic flora, intestinal epithelial cells, and the immune system, clarified the operating mechanism of the intestinal immune system, and highlighted the immunological pathogenesis of IBD, with a focus on the development of immunotherapy for IBD. In addition, intestinal fibrosis is a significant complication in patients with long-term IBD, and we reviewed the immunological pathogenesis involved in the development of intestinal fibrogenesis and provided novel antifibrotic immunotherapies for IBD.

Keywords: immune system; immunological pathogenesis; immunotherapy; inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The disturbance of the immune cell on the progression of IBD.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The crucial crosstalk between immune cells and epithelial cells in the gut.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Interactions between the gut immune system and intestinal fibroblasts.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Currently approved and available immunotherapy strategies for IBD include: four TNF antibody drugs infliximab, Adalimumab, certolizumab, and golimumab. Ustekinumab is human monoclonal IgG antibodies that block the p40 subunit receptor of the IL-12/23 complex. Tofacitinib is a JAK inhibitor in the JAK/STAT pathway.

References

    1. Hodson R. Inflammatory bowel disease. Nature. 2016;540(7634):S97. doi:10.1038/540S97a - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weinblatt ME, Keystone EC, Furst DE, et al. Adalimumab, a fully human anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in patients taking concomitant methotrexate: the ARMADA trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2003;48:35–45. - PubMed
    1. Sandborn WJ, Feagan BG, Rutgeerts P, et al. Vedolizumab as induction and maintenance therapy for Crohn’s disease. N Engl J Med. 2013;369:711–721. - PubMed
    1. Boland BS, Sandborn WJ, Chang JT. Update on Janus kinase antagonists in inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2014;43:603–617. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Feagan BG, Sandborn WJ, Gasink C, et al. Ustekinumab as induction and maintenance therapy for Crohn’s disease. N Engl J Med. 2016;375:1946–1960. - PubMed