MEDIATORS OF MUCOSAL INFLAMMATION - IMPLICATIONS FOR THERAPY

Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease remains a challenge. The major shortcoming in the development of new therapeutic approaches is the f act that the cause of inflammatory bowel disease is still unknown. Rec ognition of the importance of the arachidonic acid cascade of inflamma tory mediators presents the opportunity to specifically inhibit or ant agonize leukotriene B4, thromboxane, platelet activating factor, or ph ospholipase. Interleukins and cytokines have more recently been define d as targets for specific therapy. The results of these specific immun e modulating studies are not only important from a therapeutic point o f view, but substantially contribute to our understanding of the patho genic cascades in IBD. In this review, several targets for novel thera peutic intervention are discussed.