Given the extant literature suggesting a protective effect of increased HO-1 expression in models of asthma and inflammatory bowel disease [28], [48], [50]–[55], disorders that are also suggested targets of microbial based or probiotic therapies, it will be interesting to determine whether activation of this enzyme is an important element of beneficial effects described for certain commensal organisms in these systems. This evidence concerns the gene HMOX1 and inflammatory bowel disease.