Abstract
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are incurable disorders whose prevalence and global socioeconomic impact are increasing. While the role of host genetics and immunity is well documented, that of gut microbiota dysbiosis is increasingly being studied. However, the molecular basis of the dialogue between the gut microbiota and the host remains poorly understood. Increased activity of serine proteases is demonstrated in IBD patients and may contribute to the onset and the maintenance of the disease. The intestinal proteolytic balance is the result of an equilibrium between the proteases and their corresponding inhibitors. Interestingly, the serine protease inhibitors (serpins) encoded by the host are well reported; in contrast, those from the gut microbiota remain poorly studied. In this review, we provide a concise analysis of the roles of serine protease in IBD physiopathology and we focus on the serpins from the gut microbiota (gut serpinome) and their relevance as a promising therapeutic approach.
Highlights
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) comprise the chronic relapsing inflammatory disorders Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)
We present an overview of the role of the gut microbiota and proteases in IBD; we highlight the importance of serpins, mainly those produced by the gut microbiota, and propose to group them under the term gut serpinome
The present review highlights the limits of current therapies of IBD and the need for innovative treatments
Summary
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) comprise the chronic relapsing inflammatory disorders Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) Both are thought to arise in genetically prone individuals under the influence of environmental factors that trigger excessive activation of the host immune response. Both intestinal and fecal samples from CD and UC patients showed excessive serine protease activity as compared to healthy controls [7]. This uncontrolled activity is likely to play key roles in a variety of signaling pathways, inflict tissue damage and exacerbate gut inflammation [8,9,10]. We present an overview of the role of the gut microbiota and proteases in IBD; we highlight the importance of serpins, mainly those produced by the gut microbiota, and propose to group them under the term gut serpinome
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