| Theme | Now is the time for the "Intestine" -- updates and problems raised to be solved in IBD | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Advances in immunoregulatory therapies of ulcerative colitis | |
| Publish Date | 2009/01 | |
| Author | Haruhiko Ogata | Division of Endoscopy, School of Medicine, Keio University |
| Author | Toshifumi Hibi | Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Keio University |
| [ Summary ] | The first medications for ulcerative colitis (UC) were 5-aminosalicylate, and corticosteroids. Use of those medications began more than 50 years ago, and were followed by immunosuppressive therapies such as cyclosporin A / tacrolimus for induction therapy and azathioprine / 6-mercaptopurine for maintenance therapy. Recent advances in molecular biology have provided new therapeutic strategies for refractory UC, using biological products for molecular target therapy indicated by anti-TNF-alpha antibodies. Furthermore, in Japan, leucocytapheresis has emerged as an immunoregulatory therapeutic option for refractory cases. By using the therapeutics, many of the patients have been successfully induced or maintained remission. There have been more trials and approaches based on pathophysiological evidence to develop novel therapeutic strategies for UC. Although some of these strategies still require further confirmatory studies, these therapies will provide new insights into cell-based and gene-based treatment for UC in the near future. | |