Review article: The eosinophil as a therapeutic target in gastrointestinal disease

Elevated levels of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal tract is a common feature of numerous gastrointestinal disorders including food allergy, parasitic infections, gastro-oesophageal reflux, eosinophilic oesophagitis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, allergic colitis and inflammatory bowel diseases. Recently, clinical and experimental studies have provided evidence that eosinophils have a critical role in the pathophysiology of eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disease. Collectively, these studies have provided relevant insight into identifying key targets for therapeutic intervention. The present review describes recent experimental investigations on the role of eosinophils in the clinical manifestations of eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal disease and discusses future therapeutic approaches for the treatment of disease.