An evaluation of animal models for using bioactive compounds in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a prevalent chronic relapsing‐remitting disease that affects the digestive tract and reduces patients’ quality of life. Food bioactive compounds are a promising approach for nutritional intervention of IBD with minimal side effects. To evaluate their potential, researchers have developed various animal models that simulate human IBD, including chemically induced, spontaneous, genetically engineered, and adoptive transfer models. In this work, the main animal models, pathogenesis, symptoms, strengths, and limitations of IBD were discussed. Although these models could not perfectly replicate human IBD, they provided useful tools to study the disease's progression and therapeutic processes. In addition, taking these IBD animals as models, the specific experimental methods, intervention results, and mechanisms of food bioactive compounds to prevent or treat IBD were described in detail. The continuous improvement of animal models is crucial to gain a better understanding of IBD's etiology and pathogenesis and to evaluate the efficacy of food bioactive compounds for the effective control of IBD. This review covers various aspects of inflammatory bowel disease models, including their potential pathogenesis, modeling techniques, major symptoms, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different types. The comprehensive analysis of these models serves as an effective tool for studying human inflammatory bowel disease and evaluating the effectiveness of food bioactive compounds.