Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2026; 32(17): 119419
Published online May 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i17.119419
Published online May 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i17.119419
Insights into the pathogenic roles and targeted therapy of neutrophil extracellular traps in inflammatory bowel disease
Ying Qi, Liang Ma, Yin Zhang, Yi Liu, Min Su, Mei Wang, Ke-Wen Sun, Department of Gastro
Ting-Ting Cai, Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou 213004, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Mei Wang and Ke-Wen Sun.
Author contributions: Qi Y wrote and revised the manuscript, designed tables and figures, and acquired funding; Ma L, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Su M, Cai TT made revision; Wang M and Sun KW designed the review framework and made final revision and they as co-corresponding authors; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Changzhou Applied Basic Research Program, No. CJ20220091.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Corresponding author: Ke-Wen Sun, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Gastroenterology, The First People’s Hospital of Changzhou, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow Uni
Received: February 2, 2026
Revised: February 23, 2026
Accepted: March 17, 2026
Published online: May 7, 2026
Processing time: 82 Days and 1 Hours
Revised: February 23, 2026
Accepted: March 17, 2026
Published online: May 7, 2026
Processing time: 82 Days and 1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), while essential for pathogen clearance, act as a double-edged sword in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Excessive accumulation of NETs has been confirmed in IBD patients and colitis mouse model. NET components can exacerbate chronic intestinal inflammation, destroy intestinal mucosal barrier and aggravate tissue damage, promote thrombosis and colitis-associated cancer. Consequently, therapeutic strategies targeting NET formation or promoting NET degradation are emerging as promising avenues to restore intestinal mucosal homeostasis in IBD.