Role of innate immune cells in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is a group of chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract that includes two major phenotypes, Crohn′s disease and ulcerative colitis.The exact etiology of IBD still remains unknown, although it is thought that the diseases result from an excessive immune response directed against microbial or environmentally derived antigens which can be triggered by the disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier integrity.Innate immunity is the first line of defense against the invasion of various pathogenic microorganisms.The innate immune cells, including neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells and innate lymphocytes, play an important role in the occurrence, development and prognosis of IBD.In this paper, we review the research progress on the role of innate immune cells in the pathogenesis of IBD in order to provide new ideas for the pathogenesis research and clinical treatment of IBD. Key words: Inflammatory bowel disease; Innate immune cells; Neutrophil extracellular traps