Immunomodulatory Effects Of Intestinal Mesenchymal Cells In The Context Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains poorly understood and treatment remain suboptimal for many patients. Furthermore, many of the available treatment options for IBD exhibit severe immune suppressive side effects that impact lifestyle and predispose individuals to opportunistic infection. Thus, studies that identify novel and effective therapeutic options that preserve immune homeostasis are urgently required to address this shortfall in patient treatment options. There is some potential for the inflammatory milieu in bowel tissue to prolong the injury and slow beneficial processes linked to wound healing in the affected bowel. Therefore, primary or adjuvant therapies that restore the gut barrier and provide protection to colonic cells in underlying submucosal structures represent a useful approach to finding new treatments for IBD; this is where innovative stem cell therapies have significant potential to lead therapeutic development.