Mouse models of intestinal inflammation as tools to understand the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease

Mouse models of intestinal inflammation resemble aspects of inflammatory bowel disease in humans. These models have provided important insights into mechanisms that control intestinal homeostasis and regulation of intestinal inflammation. This Viewpoint discusses themes that have emerged from mouse models of intestinal inflammation including bacterial recognition, autophagy, the IL-23/Th-17 axis of inflammation as well as the role of negative regulators. Many of the pathways highlighted by model systems have been identified in recent genome-wide association studies in human validating the relevance of mouse models to human inflammatory bowel disease. Understanding of the complex biological mechanisms that lead to intestinal inflammation in mouse models may help to define targets for treatment of human diseases.