Animal models of inflammatory bowel disease: insights into the immunopathogenesis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Many diseases, including those characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), are due to an array of factors that act in concert to produce pathologic change. The immunologic factors that mediate the development of such mucosal inflammation have been at the center of intense research. Recently, a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in mucosal homeostasis and the occurrence of inflammatory bower disease (IBD) has been achieved with the advent of animal models of mucosal inflammation. This review discusses these models and the insights they provide into the pathogenesis and treatment of IBD.