(IBD) The role fo Innate immunity receptors in the pathogenesis of IBD

[tommyjung]

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Recent investigations have provided evidence for a conceptual change in respect of the innate

immune system.

At first, regarded as nonspecific, the idea of innate immunity has evolved to constitute an integrative

system, connecting adaptive and innate immune responses. 

Therefore, currently, in addition to early sensing of pathogens and delivering and immediate response,

the innate immune systemis implicated in the regulation and shaping of the adaptive immune response.

The hypothesis of a defective innate immunity as the primary mechanism involved with

the development of IBD has been supported for more than a decade.

After the first evidence indicating the genetic association of CD with NOD2 polymorphisms, a multitude of

studies have been directed towards innate immunity mechanisms in IBD pathogenesis.
New members of the NLRs and TLRs have been described and their functions analyzed under the light of

intestinal inflammation.

The pathways regulated by NLRs and TLRs were shown to be mediated by microbial elements, and they
appear to be responsible for bacterial clearance and the inflammatory response, in a time-dependent

fashion.

In fact, most receptors of the innate immunity present ambiguous functions, according to the dynamics of

the inflammatory process.

Moreover, intracellular cascades triggered by distinct receptor families may present different levels of

integration and overlapping in the intestinalmucosa, in order to deal with the challenge of simultaneously

responding appropriately and protecting sufficiently.

Finally, an abnormal regulation of these signaling pathways during both the early and chronic phases of intestinal inflammation may result in a persistent inflammatory process, which may

underlie the pathogenesis of IBD and of the inflammation-associated colorectal cancer.

role of innate immunity receptors in IBD.pdf