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Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic...
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Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches (4th Edition)

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 2394

Editors

Dr. Dingpei Long

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory for Sericulture Functional Genomics & Biotechnology of Agricultural Ministry, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400716, China
2. Digestive Disease Research Group, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Interests: inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); ulcerative colitis (UC); colitis-associated cancer (CAC); drug delivery systems (DDSs); natural lipid nanoparticles; natural/genetically modified silk fibroin nanoparticles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Junsik Sung

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Western New England University, Springfield, MA 01119, USA
Interests: nanoparticles; nanomedicine; targeted drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic conditions affecting the digestive tract, with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the two main forms. The exact cause of IBD is unknown, but a combination of genetic and environmental factors is believed to be involved. The disease is characterized by a range of symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and malnutrition. The pathophysiology of IBD involves an abnormal immune response in the gut, leading to chronic inflammation and damage to the intestinal lining. Treating IBD has been a challenge for the medical community due to the complexity of the disease and the limited understanding of its pathophysiology. Current therapies include medications reducing inflammation, such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biologic therapies, but these can have significant side effects and may not be effective for all patients. Innovative therapeutic approaches for IBD, including stem cell transplantation, fecal microbiota transplantation, and modulation of the gut microbiome, are currently under investigation. Researchers are also exploring targeted therapies targeting the underlying causes of IBD, such as novel drug delivery platforms based on micro- and nanotechnology. Significant advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms of IBD and developing new therapeutic approaches in recent years. This Special Issue will publish the latest research advances in IBD and bring together researchers and clinical doctors participating in IBD research. Global experts will discuss topics such as the mechanisms of IBD and research advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of IBD.

Dr. Dingpei Long
Dr. Junsik Sung
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • Crohn's disease
  • ulcerative colitis
  • chronic inflammation
  • pathophysiological mechanisms
  • therapeutic approaches
  • stem cell transplantation
  • fecal microbiota transplantation
  • gut microbiome
  • targeted therapies

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 6145 KB  
Article
Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Treatment Response to Vitamin D3 in Adolescents and Young Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Prospective, Open-Label, Alternation-Based Comparative Study
by Marina Adriana Mercioni, Adrian Goldiș, Nina Holban, Mihai Vasile Popescu, Radu Dragomir, Christian Goldiș, Bianca Belei, Ileana Enatescu, Roxana Folescu, Laura Olariu and Oana Belei
Biomedicines 2026, 14(7), 1563; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14071563 - 12 Jul 2026
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Abstract
Background: Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), specifically Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, present substantial clinical challenges characterized by a relapsing-remitting course. These conditions often lead to serious complications and significantly impair nutritional status, physical development, and overall quality of life. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background: Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), specifically Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, present substantial clinical challenges characterized by a relapsing-remitting course. These conditions often lead to serious complications and significantly impair nutritional status, physical development, and overall quality of life. Methods: This unicentric, prospective, open-label, alternation-based comparative study investigated the efficacy of vitamin D3 supplementation in adolescents with IBD. Patients aged 15–25 years were randomly assigned to receive either 1000 IU/day or 2000 IU/day of cholecalciferol for 6 months as an adjuvant to standard care. Eighty patients completed the study. Results: By month 6, remission was achieved in 52.5% of patients receiving 1000 IU/day (Group A) and 87.5% of those receiving 2000 IU/day (Group B). Significant differences were observed between groups regarding disease activity (p = 0.007), C-reactive protein levels (30.17 ± 15.74 mg/L vs. 62.82 ± 37.14 mg/L; p < 0.001), and fecal calprotectin levels. Conclusions: The machine learning models demonstrated consistent performance in assessing inflammatory indicators, with a weighted average recall exceeding 72% (Random Forest: 82.50%). No adverse effects were reported. Supplementation with 2000 IU/day of vitamin D3 for 6 months was associated with more favorable clinical and biochemical outcomes than 1000 IU/day in this single-center open-label study as an adjunct to standard treatment in adolescents and young adults with IBD. The results suggest that higher doses of vitamin D may be beneficial in achieving remission and reducing systemic inflammation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches (4th Edition))
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Review

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23 pages, 1569 KB  
Review
Specificity vs. Synergy Between Single-Strain and Multi-Strain Probiotics for Ulcerative Colitis Treatment: A Review of the Literature
by Muhammad Ikhmal Rosali, Dinesh Prasad V. Thanga Velu, Mohd Helmy Mokhtar, Raja Affendi Raja Ali, Norfilza Mohd Mokhtar and Adila A. Hamid
Biomedicines 2026, 14(6), 1386; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14061386 - 19 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease marked by mucosal inflammation of the colon, and its prevalence has progressively increased worldwide. Gut dysbiosis is recognized as a key contributor to its pathogenesis. Although conventional treatments are effective in managing symptoms, they often fail [...] Read more.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease marked by mucosal inflammation of the colon, and its prevalence has progressively increased worldwide. Gut dysbiosis is recognized as a key contributor to its pathogenesis. Although conventional treatments are effective in managing symptoms, they often fail to address the underlying gut microbial imbalance, prompting growing interest in microbiota-based therapies. Probiotic supplementation has demonstrated potential to modulate the disease. However, its clinical application is limited by variability in formulations and strain composition. Debate persists regarding the relative benefits of single-strain probiotics (SSPs), which depend on strain specificity, versus multi-strain probiotics (MSPs), which may provide synergistic effects. The literature remains inconclusive, with some studies indicating that MSPs outperform SSPs, while others emphasize the importance of strain specificity. This review describes the mechanistic basis of both approaches and descriptively synthesizes their clinical efficacy in UC management based on the clinical studies published between 2018 and 2025. Several studies report that both SSPs and MSPs are associated with clinical improvements, including reduced disease activity, symptom alleviation, and enhanced endoscopic outcomes. Given the methodological heterogeneity across included studies, comparative findings should be interpreted with appropriate caution. A direct head-to-head trial could provide a better understanding to determine the optimal approach. Advancing toward personalized probiotic therapy may further enhance the clinical application of probiotics for disease management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches (4th Edition))
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