Research progress on estrogen and its receptors in occurrence and advance of Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease (CD) is a subtype of inflammatory bowel diseases and may be resulted from endocrine disorders. Estrogen and its receptors exert an important role in the pathogenesis of CD. Studies have revealed that estrogen can down-regulate the expression of inflammatory mediators while estrogen supplementation helps reduce the severity of inflammatory response. The expression of receptors (GPER, ERα and ERβ) also influence local immune responses, and the imbalance of them mediate intestinal inflammation. Nowadays, estrogen and its receptors are expected to become a new rarget in the research of CD.