Gastrointestinal Diseases: Molecular Mechanism, Clinical Research, and Therapeutics

Dear Colleagues,

The gut is a complex organ involved in multiple critical processes, including food and water absorption, waste excretion and barrier regulation. The latter includes dealing with different environmental challenges such as microbial antigens and food allergens. Hence, intestinal homeostasis is maintained by an orchestrated interaction between host immunity and intestinal microbiota. Alterations in this equilibrium lead to different pathologies, which pose a substantial challenge to clinical care. Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases refer to a wide range of conditions that affect the digestive system, including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon, and rectum. The molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases vary, but they usually involve genetic factors, abnormal immune responses, infections, and changes in the gut microbiome. Clinical research in this field is focused on understanding the causes and mechanisms of GI diseases, as well as finding new and more effective treatments. These treatments include medications, lifestyle changes, surgery, and other interventions aimed at improving symptoms and patients´ quality of life.

GI Diseases include acid reflux, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), peptic ulcer disease, gastrointestinal cancers, food allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common chronic gastrointestinal condition characterized by abdominal pain and alterations in bowel habits. Diet, genetic predisposition and more importantly, stress exposure, are acknowledged factors in the pathophysiology of this disorder. IBS is not a life-threatening condition; however, it has an enormous influence on the quality of life. 

Inflammatory bowel disease includes two conditions, Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Both are characterised by chronic inflammation and a dysregulated immune response. Although the aetiology of IBD remains largely unknown; genetic, environmental and microbiota-derived factors are key components in the pathogenesis.

Gastric cancer, esophageal cancer and colorectal cancer are the most common types of gastrointestinal cancer. Although most cases appear to arise sporadically, the hereditary component is present in a low percentage of the cases. GI cancers account for 26% of the global cancer incidence and 35% of cancer-related deaths. GI tract cancers are caused by the accumulation of mutations in genes that control differentiation, growth, or DNA repair.

Food allergies (FA) are defined as immune-mediated, adverse health effects that occur after exposure to food. These effects are usually reproducible and to a certain specific food. They can be broadly classified into IgE-mediated, non-IgE-dependent, or a combination of both. IgE-mediated food allergy occurs when the adverse immune response to food proteins takes place with the production of high-affinity IgE antibodies. FA can lead to symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and skin rashes. In some cases, food allergies can lead to more serious reactions, such as anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction.

EoE is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the esophagus, the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The main characteristic of EoE is an excessive accumulation of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, in the esophageal tissue. This inflammation can lead to symptoms such as difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), food impaction, heartburn, chest pain, and nausea. The exact causes of EoE are not fully understood, but it is thought to involve a combination of genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. In some cases, surgical interventions may be necessary to treat severe cases of EoE.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions of original research articles and reviews on novel studies performed in Gastrointestinal Diseases. Specific subject areas of interest include but are not limited to:

• Molecular mechanisms of the pathophysiology of IBD, IBS, gastrointestinal cancer, FA and EoE.
• Current clinical practices and new perspectives on GI disease treatment.
• Novel desensitization strategies in food allergy.
• Specific mechanisms of allergen immunotherapy (cellular and molecular).
• Research in novel brain-gut axis mechanisms involving GI diseases.

Dr. Carlos J. Aranda
Dr. Reyes Gamez-Belmonte
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

• IBD
• food allergy
• eosinophilic esophagitis
• gastrointestinal cancer
• immunotherapy