Gálvez Julio
CIBER-EHD, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Research (CIBM), University of Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento s/n, Granada, 18100 Armilla, Spain.
ISRN Inflamm. 2014 Mar 25;2014:928461. doi: 10.1155/2014/928461. eCollection 2014.
The gastrointestinal tract plays a central role in immune system, being able to mount efficient immune responses against pathogens, keeping the homeostasis of the human gut. However, conditions like Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC), the main forms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), are related to an excessive and uncontrolled immune response against normal microbiota, through the activation of CD4(+) T helper (Th) cells. Classically, IBD was thought to be primarily mediated by Th1 cells in CD or Th2 cells in UC, but it is now known that Th17 cells and their related cytokines are crucial mediators in both conditions. Th17 cells massively infiltrate the inflamed intestine of IBD patients, where they produce interleukin- (IL-) 17A and other cytokines, triggering and amplifying the inflammatory process. However, these cells show functional plasticity, and they can be converted into either IFN- γ producing Th1 cells or regulatory T cells. This review will summarize the current knowledge regarding the regulation and functional role of Th17 cells in the gut. Deeper insights into their plasticity in inflammatory conditions will contribute to advancing our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate mucosal homeostasis and inflammation in the gut, promoting the design of novel therapeutic approaches for IBD.
胃肠道在免疫系统中发挥着核心作用，能够对病原体发起有效的免疫反应，维持人体肠道的内环境稳定。然而，诸如克罗恩病（CD）或溃疡性结肠炎（UC）等炎症性肠病（IBD）的主要形式，与针对正常微生物群的过度且不受控制的免疫反应有关，这是通过CD4(+)辅助性T（Th）细胞的激活实现的。传统上，IBD被认为主要由CD中的Th1细胞或UC中的Th2细胞介导，但现在已知Th17细胞及其相关细胞因子在这两种疾病中都是关键的介质。Th17细胞大量浸润IBD患者发炎的肠道，在那里它们产生白细胞介素-（IL-）17A和其他细胞因子，引发并放大炎症过程。然而，这些细胞表现出功能可塑性，它们可以转化为产生干扰素-γ的Th1细胞或调节性T细胞。本综述将总结目前关于Th17细胞在肠道中的调节和功能作用的知识。对它们在炎症条件下可塑性的更深入了解将有助于推进我们对调节肠道黏膜内环境稳定和炎症机制的理解，促进IBD新型治疗方法的设计。
