Place of phosphatidylcholine in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

In the pathogenesis of most diseases of the intestine, inflammation is important, and, often, critical. Its pathogenetic role in the inflammatory bowel disease was studied broadly and comprehensively. In recent years, research has begun on its contribution to intestinal damage in functional pathology — irritable bowel syndrome. The participation of inflammation in the development of erosive and ulcerative lesions of the lower gastrointestinal tract on the background of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID-enterocolopathy) seems paradoxical. The role of phospholipids in the construction of cell membranes is well known. One of the main membrane phospholipids of most living organisms (with the exception of microbes) is phosphatidylcholine (PC). In membranes of the intestinal epithelium, the content of PC increases from 10 to 50 % in the direction from the apical surface to the basal one, and the maximum amount of PC is located on the outside of the cell membranes. Phosphatidylcholine showed its high efficacy and safety in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as non-specific ulcerative colitis. People taking NSAIDs have demonstrated the protective role of PC in preventing damage to the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Given the common pathogenetic mechanisms between these diseases and irritable bowel syndrome, the use of PC in patients with irritable bowel syndrome seems promising, especially in its post-infection variant.