Role of intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic non-specific inflammatory disorders which affects the gastrointestinal tract. The etiology and pathology are still unclear which may be associated with the change of intestinal microbiota, intestinal infections, compromised intestinal mucosal barrier integrity, dysregulated immune responses in gut mucosa and genetic susceptibility. With great progress of IBD studies in recent years, intestinal microbiota has been found to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of IBD. In this article, we summarize the latest researches on intestinal microbiota which regulates mucosal immune responses and novel translational studies on microbiota alteration in the diagnosis and therapy in IBD. Key words: Inflammatory bowel disease; Intestinal microbiota; Intestinal mucosal immunity