Project

Study of the modulatory role of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) on cell death and the microbiome in enteritis: towards a new therapeutic for inflammatory bowel diseases?

Code
3F026312
Duration
01 October 2012 → 30 September 2016
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund, Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Gastro-enterology and hepatology
    • Gastro-enterology and hepatology
    • Gastro-enterology and hepatology
Keywords
inflammatory bowel disease tauroursodeoxycholic acid apoptosis unfolded protein response
 
Project description

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory disorders affecting the intestinal mucosa. An important hallmark of IBD is increased epithelial cell death causing intestinal barrier disruption that leads to uncontrolled antigen influx and sustained inflammatory responses. Increasing evidence points to a central role for an aberrant unfolded protein response (UPR), which is the adaptive cellular response following stress to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Interestingly, the UPR induces cytoprotective pathways, however in case of prolonged stress to the ER, it induces programmed cell death.