Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), consisting primarily of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is a group of debilitating auto-immune disorders, which also increases the risk of colitis-associated cancer. However, due to the chronic nature of the disease and inconsistent treatment outcomes of current anti-IBD drugs (e.g., approximately 30% non-responders to anti-TNFα agents), and related serious side effects, about half of all IBD patients (in millions) turn to alternative treatment options. In this regard, mucosal healing is gaining acceptance as a measure of disease activity in IBD patients as recent studies have correlated the success of mucosal healing with improved prognosis. However, despite the increasing clinical realization of the significance of the concept of mucosal healing, its regulation and means of therapeutic targeting remain largely unclear. Here, stem-cell therapy, which uses hematopoietic stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells, remains a promising option. Stem cells are the pluripotent cells with ability to differentiate into the epithelial and/or immune-modulatory cells. The over-reaching concept is that the stem cells can migrate to the damaged areas of the intestine to provide curative help in the mucosal healing process. Moreover, by differentiating into the mature intestinal epithelial cells, the stem cells also help in restoring the barrier integrity of the intestinal lining and hence prevent the immunomodulatory induction, the root cause of the IBD. In this article, we elaborate upon the current status of the clinical management of IBD and potential role of the stem cell therapy in improving IBD therapy and patient's quality of life.

中文翻译：

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炎症性肠病：干细胞疗法的治疗局限性和前景。

炎症性肠病 (IBD) 主要由溃疡性结肠炎和克罗恩病组成，是一组使人衰弱的自身免疫性疾病，也会增加结肠炎相关癌症的风险。然而，由于疾病的慢性性质和目前抗 IBD 药物的治疗结果不一致（例如、大约 30% 的抗 TNFα 药物无反应者）以及相关的严重副作用，大约一半的 IBD 患者（以百万计）转向替代治疗方案。在这方面，黏膜愈合作为 IBD 患者疾病活动的衡量标准正在获得认可，因为最近的研究已将黏膜愈合的成功与预后的改善联系起来。然而，尽管越来越多的临床认识到黏膜愈合概念的重要性，但其调节和治疗靶向的手段仍不清楚。在这里，使用造血干细胞或间充质干细胞的干细胞疗法仍然是一个有前途的选择。干细胞是具有分化成上皮细胞和/或免疫调节细胞能力的多能细胞。过度的概念是干细胞可以迁移到肠道的受损区域，以在粘膜愈合过程中提供治疗帮助。此外，通过分化成成熟的肠上皮细胞，干细胞还有助于恢复肠壁的屏障完整性，从而防止免疫调节诱导，这是 IBD 的根本原因。在本文中，我们详细阐述了 IBD 临床管理的现状以及干细胞治疗在改善 IBD 治疗和患者生活质量方面的潜在作用。干细胞还有助于恢复肠壁的屏障完整性，从而防止免疫调节诱导，这是 IBD 的根本原因。在本文中，我们详细阐述了 IBD 临床管理的现状以及干细胞治疗在改善 IBD 治疗和患者生活质量方面的潜在作用。干细胞还有助于恢复肠壁的屏障完整性，从而防止免疫调节诱导，这是 IBD 的根本原因。在本文中，我们详细阐述了 IBD 临床管理的现状以及干细胞治疗在改善 IBD 治疗和患者生活质量方面的潜在作用。