Phytochemicals in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Targeting Oxidative Stress for Improved Gut Health

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders, primarily including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Current treatments for IBD including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressive agents aim to alleviate symptoms or delay disease progression. However, long-term use of these drugs may lead to certain toxic side effects, negatively affecting the patient's quality of life. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of various phytochemicals in modulating oxidative stress, inhibiting inflammatory responses, and protecting the intestinal barrier function. These phytochemicals alleviate oxidative stress in the gut by reducing ROS levels, suppressing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and enhancing the integrity of the intestinal barrier, thus improving IBD symptoms. This review summarizes the phytochemicals known to effectively alleviate gut oxidative stress and improve IBD, discusses their mechanisms of action, and emphasizes the promising future applications in the treatment of IBD.