In histology, cryptitis refers to inflammation of an intestinal crypt.

Cryptitis is a non-specific histopathologic finding that is seen in several conditions, e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease, radiation colitis, infectious colitis.

Helminthic therapy using the whipworm "Trichuris suis" has been shown in a randomized control trial from Iowa to show benefit in patients with ulcerative colitis. The therapy tests the hygiene hypothesis which argues that the absence of helminths in the colons of patients in the developed world may lead to inflammation. Both helminthic therapy and fecal bacteriotherapy induce a characteristic Th2 white cell response in the diseased areas, which was unexpected given that ulcerative colitis was thought to involve Th2 overproduction.

Alicaforsen is a first generation antisense oligodeoxynucleotide designed to bind specifically to the human ICAM-1 messenger RNA through Watson-Crick base pair interactions in order to subdue expression of ICAM-1. ICAM-1 propagates an inflammatory response promoting the extravasation and activation of leukocytes (white blood cells) into inflamed tissue. Increased expression of ICAM-1 has been observed within the inflamed intestinal mucosa of ulcerative colitis sufferers, where ICAM-1 over production correlated with disease activity. This suggests that ICAM-1 is a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Gram positive bacteria present in the lumen could be associated with extending the time of relapse for ulcerative colitis.

Biologic treatments such as the TNF inhibitors infliximab, adalimumab, and golimumab are commonly used to treat people with UC who are no longer responding to corticosteroids. Tofacitinib, vedolizumab, and etrolizumab can also produce good clinical remission and response rates in UC. Usually, these medications are only used if other options have been exhausted (i.e., the person has received and not responded favorably to high-dose corticosteroids and immunomodulators such as azathioprine and mesalazine).

Unlike aminosalicylates, biologics can cause serious side effects such as an increased risk of developing extra-intestinal cancers, heart failure; and weakening of the immune system, resulting in a decreased ability of the immune system to clear infections and reactivation of latent infections such as tuberculosis. For this reason, patients on these treatments are closely monitored and are often given tests for hepatitis and tuberculosis at least once a year.