HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY article
Front. Allergy
Sec. Mechanisms in Allergy
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/falgy.2025.1608202
This article is part of the Research TopicUpdate on Eosinophil-associated diseasesView all 6 articles
Eosinophils in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Pathogenesis: An ROS-Centric View
Provisionally accepted
Gen Kano*
Toshihiro Tomii- Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
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Eosinophils (Eos), long recognized for their roles in allergy and helminth defense, are now emerging as key players in gastrointestinal immune regulation. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), eosinophils are frequently elevated in both blood and intestinal tissues, yet their functional significance has been underexplored. This review reexamines the role of eosinophils in IBD pathogenesis, integrating recent insights into mucosal immunity and tissue homeostasis.We outline the shift in perspective from viewing eosinophils solely as inflammatory effectors to recognizing their dual roles in inflammation and repair. Clinical and experimental findings reveal correlations between eosinophil abundance, activation markers, granule protein release, and disease activity in IBD. Central to our model is the regulatory function of eosinophil-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS), particularly hydrogen peroxide, in maintaining intestinal barrier integrity. Dysregulation of ROS-due to dysbiosis or genetic variants-may impair healing and exacerbate inflammation. We further highlight Siglec-8, an inhibitory receptor on eosinophils that induces apoptosis in response to Neu5Ac-containing sialic acids. This pathway may be disrupted by Neu5Gc, a non-human sialic acid abundant in red meat, potentially linking Western diets to impaired eosinophil regulation.These findings suggest new therapeutic directions targeting Siglec-8 and ROS balance to modulate eosinophil activity and restore intestinal immune homeostasis in IBD. These insights may also help bridge traditionally distinct disease paradigms by highlighting a potential common pathogenic mechanism of epithelial barrier dysfunction and dysregulated eosinophil activation shared between allergic diseases (e.g., asthma, eosinophilic esophagitis) and IBD.
Keywords: Eosinophil1, gastrointestinal homeostasis2, inflammatory bowel disease3, Reactive oxygen species4, Siglec-85
Received: 08 Apr 2025; Accepted: 11 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kano and Tomii. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gen Kano, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
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