Interleukins Involved in Inflammatory Bowel Disease as New Therapeutic Targets

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) comprises two forms namely, Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD). The intestinal inflammation in IBD is controlled by a complex interplay of innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Evidence indicates that a dysregulation of these mechanisms in the mucosal immunity of the gut in IBD patients causes an overproduction of cytokines leading to an uncontrolled intestinal inflammation. The discovery of novel cytokines in the IBD is important in order to understand the mechanisms that are involved in the gut mucosal immunity, as well as for the design of new therapeutic targets focused on the production of specific cytokine inhibitors. Keywords: Crohn’s disease, gene expression, immunity, inflammation, inflammatory bowel diseases, interleukins, ulcerative colitis.