Gastrointestinal Mucosal Repair and Experimental Therapeutics

Over the last decade, considerable progress has been made in understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in gastrointestinal mucosal injury and repair. These findings provide the basis to identify the etiology and pathogenesis of various gut mucosal injury-related diseases and to develop new therapeutic approaches. The publication at hand is divided into three sections: Epithelial restitution, mucosal repair and ulcer healing, and experimental therapeutics. The first part highlights the early rapid mucosal restitution, focussing on the roles of extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton, cytokines, Ca2+ signaling, polyamines, and the protein kinase C / DAG pathways. The next section deals with aspects of chronic mucosal healing, concentrating on the roles of primary response gene expression, angiogenesis and angiogenic growth factors, platelets, and the mechanisms of cell renewal after injury in special circumstances. The last part explores new therapeutic approaches, stressing potential clinical applications of nitric oxide-releasing agents, polysaccharides, nitric oxide synthase modulators, growth factors, prostaglandins, and cyclooxygenase inhibitors. Covering the current state-of-the-art findings relevant to gut mucosal injury and repair as well as providing the underlying conceptual basis and knowledge regarding experimental therapeutics for gastrointestinal mucosal injury-related diseases, this publication will be a timely guide for investigators working in the field.