The intestinal mucosa is one of the largest reservoirs of immune cells in the body, with the extraordinary task of sensing microbial products in the lumen. Barrier mechanisms regulating eubiosis, epithelial integrity, and antimicrobial defences are essential to maintain host's tolerance and resistance. When this frontline of protection is perturbed, direct and prolonged contact of the immune system with bacterial products causes maladaptive chronic inflammation of the gut.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), clinically categorized in Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), or IBD-undetermined (IBDU) is a group of conditions characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract as a result of environmental factors interacting with a pre-existing genetic susceptibility. Early management of IBD with an appropriate pharmacological therapy is required to minimize severe and potentially life threatening complications.
Although the armamentarium of IBD medications is growing, patients may not respond to first-choice therapy, leading to increased disease severity and reduced quality of life. Aside targeting the inflammatory response unselectively with anti-inflammatory and corticosteroid drugs, IBD medications also include biologics directing specifically against cytokines or molecules regulating immune cell migration. This remarkable development has been possible by understanding mechanisms underlying IBD pathogenesis and predisposition. Beyond just promoting first line of protection by means of physical distance between the microbiota and the immune system, barrier defence mechanisms have proven to be crucial for nearly every aspect of the host-microbe interactions and for the identification of new pathways amendable for therapeutic intervention.
By launching this Research Topic, we aim to collect and highlight key recent developments in the field of chronic intestinal inflammation with special reference to IBD. Here, we welcome high-quality manuscripts (research articles, reviews, or perspectives) on topics discussing (i) how the perturbation of mucosal defense mechanisms impacts on disease development and progression, and (ii) how these targets can be exploited to generate novel therapeutic strategies. This Research Topic is dedicated to the multi-layered barrier function regulating homeostasis in the intestinal milieu. We strongly encourage Authors to submit manuscripts focused on the following topics: 1. Microbiota sequencing identifying dysbiotic or colitogenic bacterial signatures. 2. Barrier integrity maintained by cell-cell physical interactions (tight junctions) or regeneration (stem cells). 3. Mucosal products regulating host-microbe interactions (e.g. mucus, reactive oxygen species, antimicrobial peptides, sIgA). 4. Lamina propria immune cell populations controlling inflammatory responses and repair processes (e.g. macrophages, lymphocytes, ILCs). 5. Control of intestinal inflammation by the peripheral nervous system.
The intestinal mucosa is one of the largest reservoirs of immune cells in the body, with the extraordinary task of sensing microbial products in the lumen. Barrier mechanisms regulating eubiosis, epithelial integrity, and antimicrobial defences are essential to maintain host's tolerance and resistance. When this frontline of protection is perturbed, direct and prolonged contact of the immune system with bacterial products causes maladaptive chronic inflammation of the gut.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), clinically categorized in Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC), or IBD-undetermined (IBDU) is a group of conditions characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract as a result of environmental factors interacting with a pre-existing genetic susceptibility. Early management of IBD with an appropriate pharmacological therapy is required to minimize severe and potentially life threatening complications.
Although the armamentarium of IBD medications is growing, patients may not respond to first-choice therapy, leading to increased disease severity and reduced quality of life. Aside targeting the inflammatory response unselectively with anti-inflammatory and corticosteroid drugs, IBD medications also include biologics directing specifically against cytokines or molecules regulating immune cell migration. This remarkable development has been possible by understanding mechanisms underlying IBD pathogenesis and predisposition. Beyond just promoting first line of protection by means of physical distance between the microbiota and the immune system, barrier defence mechanisms have proven to be crucial for nearly every aspect of the host-microbe interactions and for the identification of new pathways amendable for therapeutic intervention.
By launching this Research Topic, we aim to collect and highlight key recent developments in the field of chronic intestinal inflammation with special reference to IBD. Here, we welcome high-quality manuscripts (research articles, reviews, or perspectives) on topics discussing (i) how the perturbation of mucosal defense mechanisms impacts on disease development and progression, and (ii) how these targets can be exploited to generate novel therapeutic strategies. This Research Topic is dedicated to the multi-layered barrier function regulating homeostasis in the intestinal milieu. We strongly encourage Authors to submit manuscripts focused on the following topics: 1. Microbiota sequencing identifying dysbiotic or colitogenic bacterial signatures. 2. Barrier integrity maintained by cell-cell physical interactions (tight junctions) or regeneration (stem cells). 3. Mucosal products regulating host-microbe interactions (e.g. mucus, reactive oxygen species, antimicrobial peptides, sIgA). 4. Lamina propria immune cell populations controlling inflammatory responses and repair processes (e.g. macrophages, lymphocytes, ILCs). 5. Control of intestinal inflammation by the peripheral nervous system.
