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Cytokine-based therapies in inflammatory bowel disease

L Y Kam1, S R Targan

  • 1Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA.

Current Opinion in Gastroenterology
|October 7, 2006
PubMed

Cytokine-based therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has significantly advanced in the last year. This review highlights some of the exciting progress that has occurred. The efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) monoclonal antibody therapy in Crohn's disease has promoted further research and the development of other anti-TNF therapies, such as thalidomide, phosphodiesterase type IV inhibitors, and new-generation anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies. Current research is also focused on more proximal events in the inflammatory cascade to modify T-cell regulation and to decrease the production and activity of proinflammatory proteins, cytokines, and nuclear regulatory factors. Concurrently, the emerging role of interleukin (IL)-11, IL-12, and IL-18 in the perpetuation of chronic inflammation continues to stimulate much interest. All of these new advancements reveal an exciting future for IBD therapy.

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