IL22 and colitis: By activating STAT3 in epithelial cells, IL-22 promotes the expression of mucins involved in the composition of the mucus layer to recover mucus-producing goblet cells and alleviate colonic inflammation, as well as regulates intestinal mucosal wound healing (41). Following epithelial tissue injury, IL-22 acts directly on intestinal stem cells in the crypt to migrate and proliferate and restore intestinal epithelial cells, allowing the intestinal barrier to remain intact (43, 44).