Can IL-23 be a good target for ulcerative colitis?

A considerable percentage of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) do not respond to therapies, including anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) drugs and vedolizumab, or lose response over time. Hence the continuing need to find new therapeutic strategies and novel drugs to control this chronic debilitating disease. Increased levels of interleukin (IL)-23 and T helper (Th) 17 cell cytokines have been found in intestinal mucosa, plasma, and serum of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IL23-blocking has been shown to reduce the severity of inflammation in experimental colitis. Lastly, ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to the p40 subunit of IL-12 and IL-23, has showed good efficacy and safety profile in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). This review aims to discuss the available data on IL-23 and Th17 cell pathways in UC, in order to define the role of IL-23 as possible target for the treatment of UC.