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Pharmaceuticals
Special Issues
Exploring Novel Therapies and Drug Efficacy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Exploring Novel Therapies and Drug Efficacy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026 | Viewed by 1038

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Fabiana Andréa Moura

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculdade de Nutrição (FANUT), Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL), Maceió 57072-970, Brazil
Interests: Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; pharmacology; antioxidants; novel therapies; gut microbiome; inflammation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is one of the most significant and growing challenges in public health today. Its chronic and debilitating symptoms—including severe abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, and significant weight loss—profoundly diminish the quality of life for those affected. While conventional treatments have advanced, a large number of patients struggle to achieve or maintain remission, highlighting a critical need for novel therapeutic approaches.

This Special Issue, "Exploring Novel Therapies and Drug Efficacy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease", seeks to compile the latest research dedicated to addressing this unmet need. We invite original research, reviews, and short communications on various topics, including but not limited to the following:

  • Innovative pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.
  • The effectiveness of emerging natural compounds, nutraceuticals, and the therapeutic role of antioxidants.
  • Preclinical and clinical studies on new drug targets.
  • Personalized medicine and biomarkers for predicting treatment response.
  • The role of the gut microbiome in therapeutic outcomes.

Our goal is to create a comprehensive and timely collection of research that will advance the field and bring new hope to patients with IBD. We look forward to your valuable contributions.

Dr. Fabiana Andréa Moura
Guest Editor

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals 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 2900 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

  • Crohn's disease
  • ulcerative colitis
  • pharmacology
  • antioxidants
  • novel therapies
  • gut microbiome
  • inflammation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 713 KB  
Article
Adjunctive Pentoxifylline Enhances Clinical Remission and Reduces Inflammatory Biomarkers in Mild-to-Moderate Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial
by Mohannad O. Khrieba, Furqan M. Abdulelah, Amal Mohammed Badawoud, Eman Hamza, Reham A. Al-Dhelaan, Tarek I. Ahmed, Ahmed G. Abdelhameed, Nora Elshorbagi, Doaa A. El-Hanafy, Nashwa Eltantawy, Muhammed M. Salahuddin, Noha M. Elkhodary, Kholoud H. Radwan, Khaled Abo Bakr Khalaf Ali, Abeer A. El-Sayed and Marwa Kamal
Pharmaceuticals 2026, 19(4), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph19040552 - 30 Mar 2026
Viewed by 732
Abstract
Background: Despite mesalamine’s efficacy in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC), many patients fail to achieve complete clinical or biochemical remission. Pentoxifylline (PTX) may act as an adjunct therapy by modulating cytokine production and oxidative stress. Aim: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of [...] Read more.
Background: Despite mesalamine’s efficacy in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC), many patients fail to achieve complete clinical or biochemical remission. Pentoxifylline (PTX) may act as an adjunct therapy by modulating cytokine production and oxidative stress. Aim: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of adding PTX in patients with UC. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study, 60 patients with UC were assigned to mesalamine plus placebo (Group 1) or mesalamine plus PTX 400 mg BID (Group 2) for 24 weeks. The primary outcome was changes in the partial Mayo score (PMS). Clinical remission was defined as PMS ≤ 2 with no subscore > 1; clinical response as a reduction in PMS ≥ 2 points. Quality of life (QoL) was measured using the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ-32). Serum TNF-α, fecal calprotectin, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were assessed. Analyses were performed using intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) approaches. Subgroup analyses stratified by prior mesalamine exposure, and multivariable regression adjusted for age, sex, disease duration, smoking, and disease extent. Results: PTX significantly improved PMS compared to placebo in both ITT and PP analyses. Clinical response and remission rates were higher with PTX. IBDQ-32 scores increased, and TNF-α, calprotectin, and ESR decreased significantly more with PTX. Improvements were consistent across mesalamine-naïve and experienced patients. Multivariable regression confirmed that these effects were independent of demographic or disease-related confounders. Conclusions: Adjunctive PTX significantly enhanced clinical outcomes, reduced inflammation, and improved QoL in UC patients, supporting its potential as an effective add-on therapy to mesalamine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Novel Therapies and Drug Efficacy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
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