Translational Medicine
Open Access

Abstract

Clinical Studies of Molecular Targeted Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Kazuhiko Uchiyama, Tomohisa Takagi and Yuji Naito

Therapeutic strategies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly biological therapies, have been developed recently. The pathogenesis of IBD is based on complicated cytokine-mediated signaling pathways, which represent future drug targets. Recent data have shown that these pathways induce intestinal T-cell activation, which is a central process in disease pathogenesis, via inflammatory mediators. These inflammatory mediators, including cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12/IL-23, and IL-10, may play important roles in disease pathogenesis, and therefore represent potential therapeutic targets. These strategies may lead to new therapeutic drugs that are more effective and less toxic in IBD.