[In vivo experimental models of inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer]

There is no ideal animal model for the study of human pathologies such as IBD or CRC. For the last decade, genetically engineered animal models have been incorporated to models induced by exogenous agents. Experimental models of IBD reproduce heterogeneous intestinal inflammatory conditions, as it occurs in the human being, whereas CRC models imitate those mutations found in man although with different phenotypic repercussions. In both cases, these experimental systems are influenced by genetics and the environment. Today, animal models represent valued, complex, and complete bioassays for the study of new therapeutic strategies in IBD (IL-10, anti-IL-12, probiotics) and protective agents in CRC (n-3 fatty acids, NSAIDS, and COX-2 inhibitors).