VIP in inflammatory bowel disease: state of the art.

Catalina Abad, Rosa Gomariz, James Waschek, Javier Leceta, Carmen Martinez, Yasmina Juarranz, Alicia Arranz

The Semel Institute and Department of Psychiatry, The David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. CAbad@mednet.ucla.edu

Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets 2012 Dec

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The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is poorly understood. However, an inflammatory component is a common hallmark. It has been suggested that CD principally involves Th1 and/or Th17 cells, while UC is considered to be more Th2 driven. Because vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) has emerged in the last decade as a putative candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases with a Th1 component, it may as well serve as a therapeutic target in CD. In addition, experiments using mice deficient in VIP or its receptors have revealed that the endogenously-produced VIP may participate in the regulation of immunity. The aim of the present review is to summarize the quite considerable array of data which suggests that the VIP-receptor system plays a key role in modulating multiple molecular and cellular players involved in IBD.

Citation

Catalina Abad, Rosa Gomariz, James Waschek, Javier Leceta, Carmen Martinez, Yasmina Juarranz, Alicia Arranz. VIP in inflammatory bowel disease: state of the art. Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets. 2012 Dec;12(4):316-22