Role of STAT3 in inflammatory bowel disease

Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) play an important role in various autoimmune disorders including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recent studies have revealed that STAT3 activation plays distinctly different roles between innate immune responses and acquired immune responses in colitis. STAT3-mediated activation of acquired immune responses plays a pathogenic role in colitis by enhancing the survival of pathogenic T cells. In contrast, STAT3-mediated activation of innate responses contributes to the suppression of colitis. This review will summarize the current understanding of the roles of STAT3 in IBD and the potential of targeting STAT3 for the treatment of IBD, emphasizing recent observations.