Disruption of the Hedgehog signaling pathway in inflammatory bowel disease fosters chronic intestinal inflammation.

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is essential for intestinal homeostasis and has been associated with inflammation and tissue repair. We hypothesized that Hh signaling could affect the inflammatory process in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). For this purpose, colon specimens from the inflamed and non-inflamed mucosa of 15 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 15 with ulcerative colitis, and 15 controls were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR.

Hedgehog pathway signaling regulates human colon carcinoma HT-29 epithelial cell line apoptosis and cytokine secretion.

The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway is involved in embryogenesis and physiologic processes including cell survival and proliferation. We used the HT-29 and other human colon carcinoma cell lines to investigate Hh signaling and biological functions in colonic epithelial cells. HT-29 cells were cultured under different conditions and exposed to various stimuli.