Chymase has been extensively studied with respect to its role in the pathophysiology of
cardiovascular disease, and is notable for its role in the generation of
angiotensin II, a mediator crucial in vascular remodelling. However, in more recent years, an association between
chymase and several inflammatory diseases, including gastrointestinal (GI) disorders such as
inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have been described. Such studies, to date, with respect to IBD at least, are descriptive in the clinical context; nonetheless, preclinical studies implicate
chymase in the pathogenesis of gut
inflammation. However, studies to elucidate the role of
chymase in functional bowel disease are in their infancy, but suggest a plausible role for
chymase in contributing to some of the phenotypic changes observed in such disorders, namely increased epithelial permeability. In this short review, we have summarized the current knowledge on the pathophysiological role of
chymase and its inhibition with reference to
inflammation and tissue injury outside of the GI tract and discussed its potential role in GI disorders. We speculate that
chymase may be a novel therapeutic target in the GI tract, and as such, inhibitors of
chymase warrant preclinical investigation in GI diseases.