Chemokines in inflammatory bowel disease

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), collectively termed inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), represent chronic relapsing and remitting inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract that are charcterized by leukocytic infiltration of the intestinal mucosa and submucosa. In CD, the inflammation is transmural and frequently associated with granuloma formation. Chemokines have emerged as the most important regulators of leukocyte trafficking during infection or inflammation and, therefore, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD. In this review, recent advances on the role of chemokines and their receptors in mucosal immunity and inflammation are discussed, and the potential use of chemokine/chemokine-receptor antagonists as novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of human IBD is highlighted.