Mucosal healing and inflammatory bowel disease: Therapeutic implications and new targets

Figure 1 Pictorial depiction of inter-connection between the immune system, inflammation, and microbiota in mucosal inflammation, associated injury, and healing. Left: normal mucosal homeostasis; Middle: Inflammatory lesions damage the mucosal barrier between the gut lumen and the rest of the body. Barrier damage leads to immune cell activation, cytokine release, and feedback cycles of deteriorating inflammation driven by microbes crossing the damaged barrier; Right: Migration of circulating restitutive immune cells to the wound area, the release of repairing cytokines; crosstalk among extracellular matrix and epithelial cells for proliferation and migration; switching of microbiota and cytokines for mucosal healing and functional crypt regeneration.