Intestinal Organoids for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing-remitting immune-mediated disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract with unknown etiology, and its incidence is on the rise worldwide. IBD is related to five major factors: genetic susceptibility, immune dysregulation, intestinal epithelial mechanical barrier damage, intestinal microbial dysbiosis, and environmental stimulation. At a molecular level, intrinsic deficiencies in epithelial integrity, mucosal barrier function, and mechanisms of immune response and resolution contribute to the development of IBD. Intestinal epithelial repair and mucosal healing are the goals of IBD treatment, and play an important role in the pathogenesis and treatment of IBD. Intestinal organoids, are three-dimensional cellular structures that recapitulate the basic architecture and functional processes of the organ of origin, retain the genetic and transcriptomic profile of the tissue of origin, and provide a good in vitro model for the study of intestinal epithelium in IBD. Recent studies have revealed that functional disruption of the intestinal epithelium is closely related to the pathogenesis of IBD, and IBD research using organoids has attracted attention. In this review, we describe the origin of intestinal organoids and summarize the application and progress of this technology in IBD research.