Immunoinflammatory responses in gastrointestinal tract injury and recovery.

Inflammation is a non-specific immune response to infection, irritation or other injury, the key features being redness, warmth, swelling and pain. A number of mediators are released which alter the resistance of mucosa to injury induced by noxious substances. Oxidative stress is a unifying mechanism of injury in many types of disease processes, including gastrointestinal diseases. It has been defined as an imbalance in the activity of pro and antioxidants. Pro-oxidants favour free radical formation while antioxidants inhibit or retard the same. A number of markers of oxidative stress have been identified. This review provides an overview of various mediators of inflammation and oxidative stress, and diverse approaches for prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal inflammation.