Kexin Bao, Shaozhi Zhu

(Inner Mongolia Medical University)

Abstract：

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a major type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Due to its unclear pathogenesis, research on its pathogenesis is not uncommon. Due to the large side effects and limitations of traditional drugs, the development of new safe and effective drugs has become an urgent need. Many studies have shown a close relationship between the occurrence and development of ulcerative colitis and the Th17/Treg balance. In the state of inflammatory bowel disease, some pathogens break through the intestinal epithelial barrier and subsequently activate antigen-presenting cells. The resulting CD4⁺ T cells are prone to produce more Th17 cells, which will continue to accumulate excessive inflammatory cytokines to induce inflammation. At this time, this effect far exceeds the immune tolerance of Treg, and the phenomenon of mutual inhibition to maintain balance will be broken, resulting in an increase in tissue inflammatory response and damage to intestinal membrane tissue. Therefore, restoring this balance is also crucial for the relief of ulcerative colitis. At present, many studies have analyzed the specific pathways involved in regulating Th17 expression from different perspectives, analyzed numerous pathways for restoring Treg expression, and explored the specific mechanisms for restoring Th17/Treg balance from the aspects of microbial regulation, targeted drugs for different receptors, and traditional Chinese medicine treatment. Good progress has been made, and even many drugs have been applied in clinical trials. Therefore, this article summarizes the research on Th17, Treg, and Th17/Treg balance therapy in recent years, providing help for more researchers to understand the current research results clearly, in the hope of finding more therapeutic drugs with high cure rates and minimal toxic side effects that can be applied to clinical practice.

Key Words：

ulcerative colitis; Th17; Treg; Th17/Treg balance; signal pathway