[Experimental methods in the treatment of Leśniowski-Crohn disease]

Leśniowski-Crohn disease (L-Ch) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of uncertain etiology that is characterized by transmural mucosal inflammation. In the sight of contemporary knowledge the crucial cause of L-Ch disease seems to be the disturbances of immunological mechanisms in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). In usually conditions the intestinal mucosa persists in the state of controlled inflammation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, interleukins 1, 6, 8, 12 are counterbalanced by anti-inflammatory cytokines such as 4, 10, 11 and 13. L-Ch disease represents a state of dysregulation with predominance of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Standard medical therapy with agents like 5-aminosalicylic acid, corticosteroids, 6-mercaptopurine and azathioprine does not ensure the remission achievement in many patients. Therefore based on pro-inflammatory cytokines predominance hypothesis of L-Ch disease development, the new treatments with agents modulating inflammatory state are being evaluated in many centers. The aim of this paper is current knowledge presentation of the new drugs being in various phases of experimental therapies, which may be used in the very next future in Leśniowski-Crohn's disease treatment.