# Trichuris suis ova in inflammatory bowel disease-clinical challenges and translational pathways

**Authors:** Su Zhou, Jiong Tang, Yu Wang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1611690 · Frontiers in Immunology · 2026-02-23

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the potential and challenges of using Trichuris suis ova to treat inflammatory bowel disease, highlighting the need for better clinical trials and precision medicine approaches.

## Contribution

The paper emphasizes the need for precision medicine and standardized trials to better understand TSO's potential in IBD treatment.

## Key findings

- TSO shows potential anti-inflammatory effects but lacks confirmed clinical efficacy in IBD.
- Future research should focus on precision medicine and safety monitoring for TSO therapy.
- Multi-omics and gene-editing tools could help clarify TSO's mechanisms and improve its therapeutic stability.

## Abstract

This article reviews the mechanisms and clinical trial findings of Trichuris suis ova (TSO) for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).The results show TSO may exert potential effects on IBD via multiple pathways, yet no significant efficacy has been confirmed in clinical trials. Given its promising anti-inflammatory properties, further research is warranted. However, many knowledge gaps still exist in this field. Future trials should standardize study designs. Considering IBD complexity, priority should be given to precision medicine, with identifying TSO therapy’s target populations as a core step. Additionally, enhanced safety monitoring is essential to fully assess short- and long-term risks of TSO treatment. Given the inherent uncertainties of live biotherapeutics, multi-omics and gene-editing tools should be adopted to clarify TSO’s anti-inflammatory mechanisms and achieve its “artificial domestication”, enabling stable therapeutic performance across diverse clinical settings. The breakthroughs will deepen insights into IBD pathogenesis and advance microbiome-based interventions from empirical practice to the precision medicine era.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** inflammatory bowel disease (MONDO:0005265)
- **Species:** Trichuris suis (taxon 68888)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CD4 (CD4 molecule) [NCBI Gene 920] {aka CD4mut, IMD79, Leu-3, OKT4D, T4}, AREG (amphiregulin) [NCBI Gene 374] {aka AR, AREGB, CRDGF, SDGF}, IL17A (interleukin 17A) [NCBI Gene 3605] {aka CTLA-8, CTLA8, IL-17, IL-17A, IL17, ILA17}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, TXN (thioredoxin) [NCBI Gene 7295] {aka TRDX, TRX, TRX1, TXN1, Trx80}, NOD2 (nucleotide binding oligomerization domain containing 2) [NCBI Gene 64127] {aka ACUG, BLAU, BLAUS, CARD15, CD, CLR16.3}, TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) [NCBI Gene 7040] {aka CAEND1, CED, DPD1, IBDIMDE, LAP, TGF-beta1}, IL12B (interleukin 12B) [NCBI Gene 3593] {aka CLMF, CLMF2, IL-12B, IMD28, IMD29, NKSF}, PTPRVP (protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type V, pseudogene) [NCBI Gene 148713] {aka ESP, OST-PTP, PTPRV}, TNF (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 7124] {aka DIF, IMD127, TNF-alpha, TNFA, TNFSF2, TNLG1F}, IL10 (interleukin 10) [NCBI Gene 3586] {aka CSIF, GVHDS, IL-10, IL10A, TGIF}, IGHE (immunoglobulin heavy constant epsilon) [NCBI Gene 3497] {aka IgE}, IL22 (interleukin 22) [NCBI Gene 50616] {aka IL-21, IL-22, IL-D110, IL-TIF, ILTIF, TIFIL-23}, TLR4 (toll like receptor 4) [NCBI Gene 7099] {aka ARMD10, CD284, TLR-4, TOLL}, IL1B (interleukin 1 beta) [NCBI Gene 3553] {aka IL-1, IL1-BETA, IL1F2, IL1beta}, RAB7B (RAB7B, member RAS oncogene family) [NCBI Gene 338382] {aka RAB7}
- **Diseases:** allergic diseases (MESH:D004342), mucosal damage (MESH:D052016), depression (MESH:D003866), IBD (MESH:D015212), lymphoma (MESH:D008223), chronic (MESH:D002908), colonic hyperplasia (MESH:D003108), tissue injury (MESH:D017695), UC (MESH:D003093), rigidity (MESH:D009127), urinary tract malignancies (MESH:D014570), HIV (MESH:D015658), immune dysregulation (OMIM:614878), MS (MESH:D009103), colorectal cancer (MESH:D015179), TS (MESH:D014257), carcinogenic (MESH:D011230), immunodeficiency (MESH:D007153), thrombosis (MESH:D013927), anemia (MESH:D000740), osteoporosis (MESH:D010024), developmental impairments (MESH:D007805), toxicities (MESH:D064420), AR (MESH:D065631), bone marrow toxicity (MESH:D001855), colitis (MESH:D003092), CD (MESH:D003424), Necator americanus infection (MESH:D007239), cardiovascular events (MESH:D002318), carcinogenesis (MESH:D063646), fatigue (MESH:D005221), adenoma (MESH:D000236), autoimmune diseases (MESH:D001327), bleeding (MESH:D006470), non-melanoma skin cancer (MESH:D012878), pruritus (MESH:D011537), hyperactivity (MESH:D006948), vesicular skin lesions (MESH:D012872), lymphocyte dysregulation (MESH:D021081), growth retardation (MESH:D006130), ASD (MESH:D000067877), conditions (MESH:D020763), gastrointestinal symptoms (MESH:D012817), allergic inflammation (MESH:D007249), adrenal suppression (MESH:D000310), asthma (MESH:D001249), anxiety (MESH:D001007), intestinal malignancies (MESH:D007414), abdominal pain (MESH:D015746), cancer (MESH:D009369), repetitive behaviors (MESH:D001523)
- **Chemicals:** folate (MESH:D005492), sulfasalazine (MESH:D012460), TS (-), Carbohydrate (MESH:D002241), PGE2 (MESH:D015232), methotrexate (MESH:D008727), infliximab (MESH:D000069285), azoxymethane (MESH:D001397), 5-ASA (MESH:D019804), azathioprine (MESH:D001379), sulfonamide (MESH:D013449)
- **Species:** Oryctolagus cuniculus (domestic rabbit, species) [taxon 9986], Treponema sp. S (species) [taxon 671417], Trichinella spiralis (species) [taxon 6334], Nematoda (nematode, phylum) [taxon 6231], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Bacteria Latreille et al. 1825 (Bacteria stick insect, genus) [taxon 629395], Heligmosomoides polygyrus (species) [taxon 6339], Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (strain) [taxon 316435], Ancylostoma (genus) [taxon 29169], Trichuris muris (species) [taxon 70415], Staphylococcus aureus (species) [taxon 1280], Necator americanus (New World hookworm, species) [taxon 51031], Schistosoma mansoni (species) [taxon 6183], Trichuris suis (pig whipworm, species) [taxon 68888], Sus scrofa (pig, species) [taxon 9823], Trematodes (genus) [taxon 1290878], Escherichia coli (E. coli, species) [taxon 562], Campylobacter (genus) [taxon 194], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Trichuris trichiura (human whipworm, species) [taxon 36087]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

157 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12968208/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12968208