Inflammatory bowel disease is a heterogeneous intestinal inflammatory disorder, including
ulcerative colitis (UC) and
Crohn's disease (CD). Existing studies have shown that the pathogenesis of IBD is closely related to the host's
genetic susceptibility, intestinal flora disturbance and mucosal immune abnormalities, etc. It is generally believed that there are complicated interactions between host immunity and intestinal microflora/
microRNAs during the occurrence and progression of IBD. Intestinal flora is mainly composed of bacteria, fungi, viruses and helminths. These commensals are highly implicated in the maintenance of intestinal microenvironment homeostasis alone or in combination.
MiRNA is an endogenous non-coding small
RNA with a length of 20 to 22
nucleotides, which can perform a variety of biological functions by silencing or activating target genes through complementary pairing bonds. A large quantity of
miRNAs are involved in intestinal
inflammation, mucosal barrier integrity, autophagy, vesicle transportation and other small
RNA alterations in IBD circumstance. In this review, the immunomodulatory roles of gut flora and
microRNAs are updated in the occurrence and progression of IBD. Meanwhile, the gut flora and
microRNA targeted therapeutic strategies as well as other immunomodulatory approaches including TNF-α
monoclonal antibodies are also emphasized in the treatment of IBD.