Abstract

Animal models have been instrumental in the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying human disease, providing the foundation to develop new therapeutic strategies. Although experimental models that completely recapitulate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are still missing, key biological processes associated with IBD, such as inflammation, leukocyte trafficking, breach of epithelial barrier integrity, and T cell-mediated damage, can be successfully modeled. Here, we will discuss advantages and disadvantages as well as parallels between human IBD and animal models including established models, such as the murine system, and emerging models, such as zebrafish.