Mihi et al. (2021) with the murine NEC model observed the dynamic expression of IL-22 in the terminal ileum of healthy neonatal mice across the prenatal and postnatal periods, i.e., low-level expression before weaning and increasing afterward. Although the deficiency of IL-22 did not increase the susceptibility of neonatal mice to NEC, the authors found that IL-22 administration reduced NEC severity, enhanced epithelial cell regeneration, and protected the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier (Mihi et al., 2021). Here, IL22 is linked to necrotizing enterocolitis.