Contribution of Blood Vessel Activation, Remodeling and Barrier Function to Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) consist of a group of chronic inflammatory disorders with a complex etiology, which represent a clinical challenge due to their often therapy-refractory nature. In IBD, inflammation of the intestinal mucosa is characterized by strong and sustained leukocyte infiltration, resulting in the loss of epithelial barrier function and subsequent tissue destruction. This is accompanied by the activation and the massive remodeling of mucosal micro-vessels. The role of the gut vasculature in the induction and perpetuation of mucosal inflammation is receiving increasing recognition. While the vascular barrier is considered to offer protection against bacterial translocation and sepsis after the breakdown of the epithelial barrier, endothelium activation and angiogenesis are thought to promote inflammation. The present review examines the respective pathological contributions of the different phenotypical changes observed in the microvascular endothelium during IBD, and provides an overview of potential vessel-specific targeted therapy options for the treatment of IBD.

Ocular endothelial dysfunction in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

“…39 Studies linked IBD with cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis, coronary dysfunction, and vasculitis, indicating generalized vascular inflammation and elevated risks of morbidity-mortality. 1,[40][41][42][43] Previous studies explored systemic microvascular changes in IBD through noninvasive techniques, but to our knowledge there is no data using OCTA in pediatric IBD patients. Our study was aimed to explore the hypothesis that children with IBD might exhibit early ocular microvascular changes reflecting systemic demonstrated the potential of OCTA in evaluating retinal changes in adult IBD patients, hinting at its role as a marker for disease activity.…”

CX3CL1 (Fractalkine)-CX3CR1 Axis in Inflammation-Induced Angiogenesis and Tumorigenesis

“…Clinical observations and histopathological data confirm that the angiogenesis that accompanies chronic inflammation tends to prolong and intensify the inflammatory response [282,285]. Numerous pathological conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), cancer growth and tumor metastasis, arthritis, diabetic retinopathy and ischemic cardiovascular diseases (including stroke), are associated with abnormal inflammatory angiogenesis [286][287][288][289][290].…”

Molecular targets associated with ulcerative colitis and the benefits of atractylenolides-based therapy

“…Angiogenesis is a hallmark of chronic inflammatory diseases ( Britzen-Laurent et al, 2023 ). Pathological analysis of human and murine colitis tissues reveals significant alterations in the colonic microvascular system, including vascular dilation, congestion, edema, angiogenesis, microvascular occlusion, and the presence of tortuous vessels of varying diameters ( Haep et al, 2015 ).…”