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World J Gastroenterol. Feb 7, 2014; 20(5): 1127-1138
Published online Feb 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i5.1127
Novel methylxanthine derivative-mediated anti-inflammatory effects in inflammatory bowel disease
In-Ah Lee, Alan Kamba, Daren Low, Emiko Mizoguchi
In-Ah Lee, Alan Kamba, Daren Low, Emiko Mizoguchi, Gastrointestinal Unit, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States
Emiko Mizoguchi, Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States
Author contributions: The authors contributed equally to this study.
Supported by National Institutes of Health DK80070; and grants from the Broad Medical Foundation to Mizoguchi E; the National Research Foundation of Korea to Lee IA; and the fellowship grant supported by the Singapore A*STAR Graduate Academy to Low D
Correspondence to: Emiko Mizoguchi, MD, PhD, Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, GRJ 825D, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. emizoguchi@mgh.harvard.edu
Telephone: +1-617-6431736 Fax: +1-617-7263673
Received: September 27, 2013
Revised: November 26, 2013
Accepted: January 6, 2014
Published online: February 7, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: The involvement of family 18 chitinases in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease has been increasing characterized. The discovery of methylxanthine derivatives as an effective inhibitor of family 18 chitinases provides a good tool to control the pathogenic effects of these proteins. This review discusses the underlying inhibitory mechanisms of the different methylxanthine derivatives and how these compounds have been shown to be effective in the amelioration of animal colitis models. As such, this mode of application can be extended to target other family 18 chitinases associated disorders such as asthma.