Abstract
Induction of apoptosis has now become a major therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human malignancies, whereas failure of apoptosis has been implicated as a mechanism contributing to oncogenesis. However, the quantitative role of apoptosis in most diseases in gastroenterology remains unclear. This chapter reviews what is known about apoptosis in the biology and pathobiology of the GI epithelium. The chapter focuses primarily on pathologic processes and highlight potential therapeutic strategies wherever feasible. Because the cellular mechanisms of apoptosis in GI epithelium remain largely unknown, it reviews information predominantly on whether apoptosis occurs in a disease process. Potential future areas of fruitful investigation are also highlighted. The potential importance of apoptosis in diseases of the GI tract is reviewed in an organ-specific manner in sections on the liver, pancreas, small and large intestine, and the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Because more is known about apoptosis in the liver than in the other tissues of the GI tract, the chapter reviews in greater detail the role of apoptosis in disease processes of the liver, and what is known about apoptosis in liver physiology and in diseases because of alcohol, cholestasis, viruses, immune-mediated processes, and neoplasia.
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