Mechanisms of Zhuyuwan in Treating both Intrahepatic Cholestasis and Ulcerative Colitis Based on Homotherapy for Heteropathy
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20250523
- VernacularTitle:茱萸丸“异病同治”肝内胆汁淤积症和溃疡性结肠炎的机制
- Author:
Jun HAN
1
;
Yueqiang WEN
1
;
Zongying XU
2
;
Dan LUO
1
;
Li ZHOU
1
;
Xueyi LI
1
;
Yufan DAI
1
;
Lele YANG
1
;
Tao SHEN
1
;
Han YU
1
Author Information
1. School of Basic Medical Sciences， Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）， Chengdu 611137， China
2. School of Basic Medical Sciences， Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine，Guangzhou 510006，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Zhuyuwan;
homotherapy for heteropathy;
intrahepatic cholestasis;
ulcerative colitis;
metabonomics;
arginine biosynthesis
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2025;31(13):46-53
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveThe theory of homotherapy for heteropathy is one of the classical rules in traditional Chinese medicine. Taking this theory as a breakthrough point， this study employed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） to elucidate the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of Zhuyuwan on both intrahepatic cholestasis （IC） and ulcerative colitis （UC） from the viewpoint of serum metabolic homeostasis. MethodsThe rat models of α-naphthylisothiocyanate （ANIT）-induced cholestasis and 2，4，6-trinitro-benzenesulfonic acid （TNBS）-induced UC were treated with low （0.6 g·kg-1） and high （1.2 g·kg-1） doses of Zhuyuwan by gavage. In the experiment regarding IC， 24 Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly assigned into four groups： normal， ANIT model， low-dose Zhuyuwan， and high-dose Zhuyuwan. In the experiment regarding UC， 24 SD rats were randomly allocated into four groups： normal， TNBS model， low-dose Zhuyuwan， and high-dose Zhuyuwan. Firstly， the two disease models and the intervention effects of Zhuyuwan on the two diseases were evaluated based on serum levels of biochemical indicators ［alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate transaminase （AST）， γ-glutamyltranspeptidase （γ-GT）， and total bile acid （TBA）］， colon damage score， colon weight index， disease activity index， and histopathological changes in rats. Secondly， the rat serum samples were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS） to screen the common core pathways of the two disease models， and the expression of core genes in the pathways was determined by Real-time PCR， on the basis of which the biological mechanism of the treatment of the two disease models by Zhuyuwan was ultimately elucidated. ResultsThe results of the experiment regarding IC showed that the ANIT model group had higher ALT， AST， γ-GT， and TBA levels than the normal group （P<0.01）. Compared with the ANIT model group， the low-dose Zhuyuwan group showed declined ALT and TBA levels （P<0.01） and the high-dose Zhuyuwan group showed lowered ALT， TBA， AST， and γ-GT levels （P<0.01）. The results of the experiment regarding UC showed that compared with the normal group， the TNBS model group presented increases in the colonic damage score， colon weight index， and disease activity index （P<0.01）. Compared with the TNBS model group， the low-dose Zhuyuwan group showcased declines in colon weight index （P<0.01） and disease activity index （P<0.05）， and the high-dose Zhuyuwan group showed reductions in the colon damage score， colon weight index， and disease activity index （P<0.01）. GC-MS metabolomics analysis combined with qRT-PCR demonstrated that Zhuyuwan had a similar inverse regulatory effect on arginine metabolism disruption in the above two disease models. ConclusionZhuyuwan exhibited definite therapeutic effects on both IC and UC， and the regulation of arginine biosynthesis pathway is the core mechanism for the treatment of both diseases by Zhuyuwan.
