Journal
CELLS
Volume 8, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/cells8060628
Keywords
inflammatory bowel disease; mesentery; adipose tissue; inflammation
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Though historically regarded as an inert energy store, adipose tissue is a complex endocrine organ, which is increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Accumulating evidence points to visceral adipose tissue and specifically to its mesenteric component, or creeping fat as impacting on the disease course through its immunomodulatory properties. On the one hand, mesenteric fat acts as a physical barrier to inflammation and is involved in controlling host immune response to translocation of gut bacteria. On the other hand, however, there exists a strong link between visceral fat and complicated course of the disease with unfavorable therapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, creeping fat appears to play different roles in different IBD phenotypes, with the greatest pathogenetic contribution probably to an ileal form of Crohn's disease. In this review, we summarize and discuss the existing literature on the subject and identify high-priority areas for future research. It may be that a better understanding of the role of mesenteric fat in IBD will determine new therapeutic targets and translate into improved clinical outcomes.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available