title: Inflammatory bowel disease: Moving toward a stem cell-based therapy.
abstract: The incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the two major forms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), are rising in western countries. The modern hygienic lifestyle is probably at the root of a disease where, in genetically susceptible hosts, the intestinal commensal flora triggers dysregulated immune and inflammatory responses. Current therapies ranging from anti-inflammatory drugs to immunosuppressive regimens, remain inadequate. Advances in our understanding of the cell populations involved in the pathogenetic processes and recent findings on the regenerative, trophic and immunoregulatory potential of stem cells open new paths in IBD therapy. Hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells are catalyzing the attention of IBD investigators. This review highlights the pivotal findings for stem cell-based approaches to IBD therapy and collects the encouraging results coming in from clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lanzoni
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roda
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belluzzi
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roda
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Bagnara
mesh_terms: D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*