The Role of Nuclear Factor Kappa-B in Ulcerative Colitis

Nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB) is a polyphonic transcription factor.It is important for the expression of a wide va-riety of genes that are involved inflammatory and immune responses,and the regulation of cellular proliferation and differentiation.The over activation of NF-κB is intimately involved in many human diseases such as atherosclerosis,arthritis,asthma and malignant tumor and so on.Inflammation is a defensive reaction involving a variety of cells and cytokines.However,serious or long-term inflammation may cause impairment of organisms.Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a group of intestinal diseases characterized by chronic and periodic inflam-mation.Long-term,repeated intestinal inflammation not only influences the quality of life of patients but also increases the risk of fibrosis and carcinoma in the intestinal tract.It has been demonstrated that NF-κB signaling has a close relationship with inflammation.This ar-ticle gives an overview about the role of NF-κB and UC.