Ahsan MU, Sajid SL, Balach R, Daniyal M, Ain NU, Mudasir M. Emerging role of Janus kinase inhibitors in ulcerative colitis management. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2025; 16(4): 110472 [PMID: 41378070 DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i4.110472]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Muhammad Umar Ahsan, Researcher, Department of Medicine, D.G. Khan Medical College, Street No. 2, Block 51, Dera Ghazi Khan 32200, Punjab, Pakistan. umarahsan219@gmail.com
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Medicine, General & Internal
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Minireviews
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Dec 5, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 11, 2025
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World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics
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2150-5349
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Ahsan MU, Sajid SL, Balach R, Daniyal M, Ain NU, Mudasir M. Emerging role of Janus kinase inhibitors in ulcerative colitis management. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2025; 16(4): 110472 [PMID: 41378070 DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i4.110472]
World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. Dec 5, 2025; 16(4): 110472 Published online Dec 5, 2025. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i4.110472
Emerging role of Janus kinase inhibitors in ulcerative colitis management
Muhammad Umar Ahsan, Syeda Laiba Sajid, Rahul Balach, Muhammad Daniyal, Noor Ul Ain, Muhammad Mudasir
Muhammad Umar Ahsan, Muhammad Mudasir, Department of Medicine, D.G. Khan Medical College, Dera Ghazi Khan 32200, Punjab, Pakistan
Syeda Laiba Sajid, Department of Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi 75510, Sindh, Pakistan
Rahul Balach, Department of Medicine, Ziauddin Medical College, Karachi 05444, Sindh, Pakistan
Muhammad Daniyal, Department of Medicine, Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan 23200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Noor Ul Ain, Department of Medicine, Nishtar Medical University, Multan 59300, Punjab, Pakistan
Co-corresponding authors: Muhammad Umar Ahsan and Muhammad Mudasir.
Author contributions: Ahsan MU contributed to conceptualization, investigation, supervision, writing original manuscript, manuscript review and editing; Sajid SL contributed to writing original manuscript, manuscript review and editing; Balach R contributed to writing original manuscript, manuscript editing; Daniyal M contributed to investigation, writing original manuscript, manuscript review and editing; Ain NU contributed to investigation, writing original manuscript; Mudasir M contributed to writing original manuscript, manuscript review; Ahsan MU and Mudasir M played important and indispensable roles in the manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Muhammad Umar Ahsan, Researcher, Department of Medicine, D.G. Khan Medical College, Street No. 2, Block 51, Dera Ghazi Khan 32200, Punjab, Pakistan. umarahsan219@gmail.com
Received: June 9, 2025 Revised: July 24, 2025 Accepted: October 30, 2025 Published online: December 5, 2025 Processing time: 181 Days and 23.3 Hours
Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease having high morbidity and a significant negative influence on patients’ quality of life. Traditional medicinal strategies available, including amino salicylates, corticosteroids, and biologics, offer limited efficacy, safety, and durability of response. The advancement in small-molecule Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors has introduced a novel, oral therapeutic option that targets intracellular signaling pathways implicated in UC pathogenesis. Tofacitinib is the first approved JAK inhibitor for the treatment of moderate-to-severe UC. This drug, despite offering promising efficacy, has various safety concerns, especially the occurrence of thromboembolic events. These adverse effects have stressed the development of more selective agents such as upadacitinib and filgotinib. This mini-review explores the current perspectives of JAK inhibitors in UC, particularly focusing on their mechanisms of action, safety profiles, clinical trial outcomes, and emerging strategies to enhance their use. This review also highlights future directions, including the potential of selective JAK1 inhibition and the role of personalized medicine in refining therapeutic decisions. Understanding the emerging place of JAK inhibitors within the UC treatment strategies offers excellent opportunities to increase patient care and long-term disease management.
Core Tip: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a difficult condition that often doesn’t respond well to standard treatments. This review looks at the growing role of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, a type of oral medication that targets specific pathways involved in inflammation. While older drugs like tofacitinib showed promise, they raised some safety concerns. Newer options, such as upadacitinib and filgotinib, appear to offer better safety alongside strong clinical results. Overall, this review highlights how these treatments could help people with moderate-to-severe UC who need more effective and reliable options to manage their condition.
