To identify the pro-inflammatory cytokines activating MMP-7 in different cell types of the colon, we treated FHC epithelial cells established from normal fetal colonic mucosa, primary rat colon smooth muscle cells, and human THP-1-derived macrophages with LPS or 11 pro-inflammatory cytokines implicated in IBD pathogenesis (37). This evidence concerns the gene MMP7 and inflammatory bowel disease.