Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

For several decades corticosteroids were the only potent immunomodulatory agents effective and available for active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The past decade ha seen an enhanced knowledge of the immune response in lBD and a better understanding of how common immunomodulatory agents work. Fur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Charles N Bernstein
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1994-01-01
Series:Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1994/648249
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832556772684988416
author Charles N Bernstein
author_facet Charles N Bernstein
author_sort Charles N Bernstein
collection DOAJ
description For several decades corticosteroids were the only potent immunomodulatory agents effective and available for active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The past decade ha seen an enhanced knowledge of the immune response in lBD and a better understanding of how common immunomodulatory agents work. Furthermore, more specific mediators of the abnormal immune response have been identified, so that therapy can be more targeted. Purine analogues have proven efficacy in achieving and maintaining remission in both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Methotrexate has proven efficacy in active Crohn’s disease. Both of these classes of drugs requires weeks to months of treatment before any benefit is seen. Intravenous cyclosporine is efficacious in acute severe ulcerative colitis and can settle active disease within days of administration. It is unclear whether oral cyclosporine offers any advantage at maintaining remission, once achieved. Oral cyclosporine in Crohn’s disease has been proven to be ineffective at either achieving or maintaining remission; however, intravenous cyclosporine in Crohn’s disease has not been rigorously tested. Newer immunomodulatory agents have been designed for specific targets. and in particular monoclonal antibodies that block the effects of interleukin-1, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and the T cell receptor are available for clinical trials. We are in an era of expanding therapeutic approaches to these diseases, including the refined use of readily available agent, the development of newer, more targeted agents and a broader understanding of how agents may be effectively used simultaneously or sequentially.
format Article
id doaj-art-bb18a4d8b03d4d09a0818902cfc39235
institution Kabale University
issn 0835-7900
language English
publishDate 1994-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology
spelling doaj-art-bb18a4d8b03d4d09a0818902cfc392352025-02-03T05:44:31ZengWileyCanadian Journal of Gastroenterology0835-79001994-01-018741341610.1155/1994/648249Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseCharles N Bernstein0Section of Gastroenterology, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaFor several decades corticosteroids were the only potent immunomodulatory agents effective and available for active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The past decade ha seen an enhanced knowledge of the immune response in lBD and a better understanding of how common immunomodulatory agents work. Furthermore, more specific mediators of the abnormal immune response have been identified, so that therapy can be more targeted. Purine analogues have proven efficacy in achieving and maintaining remission in both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Methotrexate has proven efficacy in active Crohn’s disease. Both of these classes of drugs requires weeks to months of treatment before any benefit is seen. Intravenous cyclosporine is efficacious in acute severe ulcerative colitis and can settle active disease within days of administration. It is unclear whether oral cyclosporine offers any advantage at maintaining remission, once achieved. Oral cyclosporine in Crohn’s disease has been proven to be ineffective at either achieving or maintaining remission; however, intravenous cyclosporine in Crohn’s disease has not been rigorously tested. Newer immunomodulatory agents have been designed for specific targets. and in particular monoclonal antibodies that block the effects of interleukin-1, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and the T cell receptor are available for clinical trials. We are in an era of expanding therapeutic approaches to these diseases, including the refined use of readily available agent, the development of newer, more targeted agents and a broader understanding of how agents may be effectively used simultaneously or sequentially.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1994/648249
spellingShingle Charles N Bernstein
Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology
title Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
title_full Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
title_fullStr Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
title_full_unstemmed Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
title_short Update of Immunomodulatory Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
title_sort update of immunomodulatory therapy for inflammatory bowel disease
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1994/648249
work_keys_str_mv AT charlesnbernstein updateofimmunomodulatorytherapyforinflammatoryboweldisease