Chemokines orchestrate leukocyte trafficking in inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent and serious inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Genetic, immunologic and environmental factors all contribute to the pathogenesis of IBD. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis represent 2 common forms of IBD. Recent discovery of Crohn's disease-associated gene mutations suggests that compensation of disrupted innate immunity in IBD patients leads to abnormal T lymphocyte response to antigenic stimulation and subsequent inflammation by producing pro-inflammatory mediators including chemokines. Chemokines are a group of chemoattractant cytokines that exert double-edged effects on both host defense and inflammation. Chemokines have been shown to play an essential role in the recruitment of inflammatory cells. Leukocyte infiltration and increased production of certain chemokines are all observed in IBD. In this review, we discuss the current literature and present our recent studies on the role of different chemokines in the pathogenesis of IBD. Controlling the expression and neutralizing the function of chemokines are an approach that would allow the development of a novel treatment strategy with effective anti-inflammatory effect.