Homeostatic (IL-7) and effector (IL-17) cytokines as distinct but complementary target for an optimal therapeutic strategy in inflammatory bowel disease

The persistence of IL-7-dependent colitogenic memory CD4+ T cells is critical to the maintenance of experimental colitis. On the other hand, though Th1 and Th2 colitogenic memory CD4+ cells exist, in recent years the central role of IL-17-producing Th17-type cells in IBD has attracted renewed interest. The development of molecularly targeted therapies aimed at a variety of different Th-dependent pathogenic mechanisms may represent a novel approach to IBD therapy.