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Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Molecular Insights—2nd Edition

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Guest Editor
1. Discipline of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
2. Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Interests: inflammatory bowel disease; neutrophils; myeloperoxidase; inflammation; colitis; redox biology; antioxidants; reactive oxygen species; oxidative stress
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Inflammatory bowel disease is an elusive chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory disease that, in many cases, diminishes the quality of life of patients. While our armamentarium of therapeutic pharmacologies is constantly expanding, our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of this challenging disease lags behind. If we are to progress to curative therapies, we must first define the molecular signatures of IBD at the genetic, biochemical, and immunobiological levels. This will likely include the complex interactions of a multitude of cells, messenger substances, and proteins within the gut environment, immune-related structures, and systemic circulation.

Recent advancements in genomic technologies, high-throughput imaging mass spectrometry, and multiomic analysis have enhanced our understanding of the interplay between endogenous and exogenous factors through newly discovered molecular actors, an improved understanding of microbiome dysbiosis, and the spatial immunocompartmentalisation of the IBD-affected gut. This Special Issue, ‘Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Molecular Insights—2nd Edition’, will further explore these themes.

As a longstanding IBD researcher, it is my pleasure to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue ‘Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Molecular Insights—2nd Edition’ of the International Journal for Molecular Sciences (Impact Factor: 4.9).

We welcome original research manuscripts that help to unravel exciting and novel findings that have the potential to shed light on the pathogenesis of IBD.

The scope of this Special Issue includes research relating to human multiomic analysis, genomic sequencing, studies with components of basic science research or mechanistic data, and animal studies with relevance to Crohn’s disease and/or ulcerative colitis.

I look forward to receiving your original research submissions.

Dr. Belal Chami
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • genomic sequencing
  • microbiome
  • dysbiosis
  • commensal flora
  • omics
  • immunobiology
  • colitis
  • Crohn’s disease
  • ulcerative colitis
  • multiomics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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19 pages, 2066 KiB  
Article
Resolvin D2 and Its Effects on the Intestinal Mucosa of Crohn’s Disease Patients: A Promising Immune Modulation Therapeutic Target
by Livia Bitencourt Pascoal, Bruno Lima Rodrigues, Guilherme Augusto da Silva Nogueira, Maria de Lourdes Setsuko Ayrizono, Priscilla de Sene Portel Oliveira, Licio Augusto Velloso and Raquel Franco Leal
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(13), 6003; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26136003 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 103
Abstract
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that severely impacts patients’ quality of life. Although current therapies have improved symptom management, they often fail to alter disease progression and are associated with immunosuppressive side effects. This study evaluated [...] Read more.
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that severely impacts patients’ quality of life. Although current therapies have improved symptom management, they often fail to alter disease progression and are associated with immunosuppressive side effects. This study evaluated the immunomodulatory potential of resolvin D2 (RvD2), a pro-resolving lipid mediator, using a murine model of colitis and the ex vivo treatment of intestinal mucosal biopsies from CD patients, comparing its effects to those of conventional anti-TNFα therapy. To determine the optimal concentration of RvD2 for application in human tissue explant cultures, an initial in vitro assay was conducted using intestinal biopsies from mice with experimentally induced colitis. The explants were treated in vitro with varying concentrations of RvD2, and 0.1 μM emerged as an effective dose. This concentration significantly reduced the transcriptional levels of TNF-α (p = 0.004) and IL-6 (p = 0.026). Intestinal mucosal biopsies from fifteen patients with CD and seven control individuals were analyzed to validate RNA-sequencing data, which revealed dysregulation in the RvD2 biosynthetic and signaling pathways. The real-time PCR confirmed an increased expression of PLA2G7 (p = 0.02) and ALOX15 (p = 0.02), while the immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated the reduced expression of the RvD2 receptor GPR18 (p = 0.04) in intestinal tissues from CD patients. Subsequently, samples from eight patients with active Crohn’s disease, eight patients in remission, and six healthy controls were used for the serum analysis of RvD2 by ELISA, in vitro treatment of intestinal biopsies with RvD2 or anti-TNF, followed by transcriptional analysis, and a multiplex assay of the explant culture supernatants. The serum analysis demonstrated elevated RvD2 levels in CD patients both with active disease (p = 0.02) and in remission (p = 0.002) compared to healthy controls. The ex vivo treatment of intestinal biopsies with RvD2 decreased IL1β (p = 0.04) and TNFα (p = 0.02) transcriptional levels, comparable to anti-TNFα therapy. Additionally, multiplex cytokine profiling confirmed a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 (p = 0.01), IL-21 (p = 0.04), and IL-22 (p = 0.009), in the supernatant of samples treated with RvD2. Altogether, these findings suggest that RvD2 promotes the resolution of inflammation in CD and supports its potential as a promising therapeutic strategy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Molecular Insights—2nd Edition)
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