Reparative Cells are Recruited to Sites of Gastric Injury: Lessons from Oxidative Stress and Innate Immune Responses

Abstract

The response to injury in the stomach is a balancing act between repair mechanisms and the processes that drive carcinogenesis. While the recruitment of reparative lineages is integral to the protection and restoration of the stomach after damage, the maintenance of these lineages in the presence of persistent inflammation and injury can drive cancer development. Globally, gastric cancer is a major health concern and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related death, so understanding the molecular mechanisms required for repair and cancer development are important to identify novel targets for gastric cancer prevention and treatment. It appears that in response to gastric injury there are several epithelial-immune cell circuits that synergize to promote repair in the stomach. The data presented here suggest that oxidative stress and innate immune responses are required for recruiting reparative cells to sites of gastric injury and are crucial for the stomach to effectively repair after damage.