B Cell-Activating Factor (BAFF) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: BAFFling No Longer?

Excerpt

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), manifest as Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) results from multiple interactions between genetic and environmental factors such as the microbiome, and also from dysregulation of the immune system, inflaming the gut mucosa. Although cytokine imbalance, with a predominance of Th1, Th2, or Th17 pathways is associated with the overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines in the intestinal mucosa, the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA) antibodies implicate B cell responses as well. Furthermore, IBD is also associated with the dysfunction of gut regulatory immune cells, including intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes, Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells, regulatory B cells, alternatively activated macrophages, dendritic cells, and innate lymphoid cells [1]. …