Cytokines and growth factor modulators in intestinal inflammation and repair

Breakdown in gastrointestinal mucosal integrity may be due to increased aggressive factors, including an excessive inflammatory response, decreased mucosal defence or a combination of the two. Our understanding of the control processes underlying these changes has rapidly expanded over the last decade and it is becoming clear that rather than being distinct elements, inflammation and repair are interrelated processes mediated by common cytokines and growth factors, with the division of factors as being a cytokine or a growth factor being somewhat artificial. The use of biological therapies, such as antibodies that cause receptor blockade or administering recombinant growth factors, has now progressed from the laboratory to the clinical arena. This review summarizes current thoughts on the use of these factors in general, but with particular emphasis on inflammatory bowel disease.