Anti-inflammatory peptides and proteins in inflammatory bowel disease.

Current therapy of inflammatory bowel disease, ie, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is neither sufficient nor disease-modifying. Long-term treatment with non-specific antiinflammatory drugs aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and immunosuppressants is often accompanied with undesirable and potentially serious side effects. Novel biologically-driven therapies are targeted to specific pathophysiological processes, offering the potential for better treatment outcomes. Among other antiinflammatory peptides and proteins, monoclonal antibodies directed against TNFalpha and adhesion molecule alpha4beta7 integrin, recombinant anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-11, as well as colony-stimulating factors and peptide growth factors, are in the most advanced stages of clinical development for IBD.