Role of Inflammation in Pathophysiology of Colonic Disease: An Update

• Main Authors: Noha Ahmed Nasef, Sunali Mehta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: inflammation; diverticular disease; inflammatory bowel disease; colorectal cancer; colitis associated cancer; microbiota and immune response
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/13/4748

Diseases of the colon are a big health burden in both men and women worldwide ranging from acute infection to cancer. Environmental and genetic factors influence disease onset and outcome in multiple colonic pathologies. The importance of inflammation in the onset, progression and outcome of multiple colonic pathologies is gaining more traction as the evidence from recent research is considered. In this review, we provide an update on the literature to understand how genetics, diet, and the gut microbiota influence the crosstalk between immune and non‑immune cells resulting in inflammation observed in multiple colonic pathologies. Specifically, we focus on four colonic diseases two of which have a more established association with inflammation (inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer) while the other two have a less understood relationship with inflammation (diverticular disease and irritable bowel syndrome).