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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Exp Med. Jan 20, 2022; 12(1): 1-15
Published online Jan 20, 2022. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v12.i1.1
New translational and experimental insights into the role of pro-resolving lipid mediators in inflammatory bowel disease
Lívia Bitencourt Pascoal, Bruna Biazon Palma, Fabio Henrique Mendonça Chaim, Marina Moreira de Castro, Tiago Andrade Damázio, Ana Paula Menezes de Freitas Franceschini, Marciane Milanski, Lício Augusto Velloso, Raquel Franco Leal
Lívia Bitencourt Pascoal, Bruna Biazon Palma, Fabio Henrique Mendonça Chaim, Marina Moreira de Castro, Tiago Andrade Damázio, Ana Paula Menezes de Freitas Franceschini, Marciane Milanski, Raquel Franco Leal, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Laboratory, Colorectal Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-878, São Paulo, Brazil
Marina Moreira de Castro, Marciane Milanski, Laboratory of Metabolic Disorders, School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-878, São Paulo, Brazil
Lício Augusto Velloso, Laboratory of Cell Signaling, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-864, São Paulo, Brazil
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the writing and final review of the manuscript.
Supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for Leal RF (301388/2018-0); the Post-doctoral Scholarship from Funding for Education, Research and Extension Support (FAEPEX), University of Campinas for Pascoal LB; the Undergraduate Scholarship from the CNPq (125138/2020-2) for Palma BB; the Undergraduate Scholarship from the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (FAPESP) (2020/02571-9) for Damázio TA.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Raquel Franco Leal, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Research Scientist, Senior Researcher, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Laboratory, Colorectal Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Carlos Chagas Street, 420, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Campinas 13083-878, São Paulo, Brazil. rafranco.unicamp@gmail.com
Received: July 4, 2021
Peer-review started: July 4, 2021
First decision: October 18, 2021
Revised: October 21, 2021
Accepted: January 8, 2022
Article in press: January 8, 2022
Published online: January 20, 2022
Abstract

The resolution of inflammation is an active process, guided by specialized pro-resolution lipid mediators (SPMs). These mediators originate from polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3. Sufficient evidence suggests that the beneficial effects attributed to omega-3 are, at least in part, the result of the immunomodulatory action of the SPMs, which act systemically by overcoming inflammation and repairing tissue damage, without suppressing the immune response. Recent studies suggest that an imbalance in the synthesis and/or activity of these compounds may be associated with the pathogenesis of several inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Thus, this review highlights the advances made in recent years with regard to the endo-genous synthesis and the biological role of lipoxins, resolvins, protectins, and maresins, as well as their precursors, in the regulation of inflammation; and provides an update on the participation of these mediators in the development and evolution of IBD and the therapeutic approaches that these immunomodulating substances are involved in this context.

Keywords: Pro-resolving lipid mediators, Anti-inflammatory cytokines, Omega-3, Chronic inflammation, Pro-inflammatory cytokines, Inflammatory bowel disease

Core Tip: Much progress has been made in recent decades regarding the understanding of mediators involved in the exacerbated inflammatory response. We discuss the role of specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators and their precursors in the etiology and management of chronic inflammatory diseases, in particular, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our research is based on the data pointed out by the literature and we suggest new therapeutic approaches using these immunomodulatory substances in IBD.