Xiaohuang Qudan decoction (XHQDD) is a classical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula widely used in the treatment of cholestatic liver injury. Despite its widespread use, the protective mechanism of XHQDD against cholestatic liver injury remains incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether XHQDD mediates its beneficial effects by inhibiting the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway and regulating TH17/Treg balance. To this end, the researchers used Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and established a cholestatic liver injury model by oral administration of alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT). The experimental group was divided into six groups: Control (CON), ANIT, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), XHQDD-low dose (XHQDD-L) group, XHQDD-medium dose (XHQDD-M) group, and XHQDD-high dose (XHQDD-H) groups. Then, after 7 d of treatment, various tests were performed to verify the results. Firstly, XHQDD and its drug-containing serum were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), and 14 blood-entry components were identified. Then, bile flow was monitored and found to be significantly reduced in the model group, which was significantly reversed in the UDCA and XHQDD groups. To further assess ANIT-induced liver injury, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Sirius red staining, alongside transmission electron microscopy (TEM), were employed to observe liver tissues, revealing hepatocellular injury, cholestasis, and hepatic fibrotic changes. Serum inflammatory factors and liver injury indicators were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indicating an inflammatory state in ANIT-induced liver injury rats. The expression levels of JAK2/STAT3-related genes and proteins in liver and intestinal tissues were measured via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence (IF) staining, and Western blottting (WB) assays. These studies revealed that the inflammatory state of liver-injured rats was inextricably linked to the inflammatory cascade associated with the JAK2/STAT3 pathway and that XHQDD may exert anti-inflammatory efficacy by inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of T helper 17 (Th17)/regulatory T (Treg) cells in serum and hepatocytes, and it was further found that XHQDD was able to regulate Th17/Treg immune homeostasis in liver-injured rats. The findings suggest that XHQDD markedly alleviates inflammation in ANIT rats, potentially treating cholestasis and liver injury through JAK2/STAT3 inhibition and Th17/Treg balance regulation.
Animals ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/immunology* ; Janus Kinase 2/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; 1-Naphthylisothiocyanate/adverse effects* ; Male ; Rats ; Th17 Cells/immunology* ; Cholestasis/immunology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology* ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/immunology* ; Liver/drug effects*

ObjectiveTo explore the underlying mechanism of Bushen Huatan prescription in alleviating postmenopausal osteoporosis （PMOP） by maintaining the balance of osteogenesis and adipogenic differentiation in ovariectomized rats with osteoporosis. MethodSeventy-five 6-month-old non-pregnant female SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group， model group， atorvastatin group， liviol group， and Bushen Huatan prescription group. Bilateral ovaries were removed in the four groups except the sham-operation group， while only the same mass of adipose tissue around the ovaries was removed in the sham-operation group. On the 5^th week after surgery， drugs were consecutively administrated for 8 weeks. Rats in the Bushen Huatan prescription group received 9.4 mg·kg^-1 of the prescription， rats in the atorvastatin group received 0.92 mg·kg^-1 of atorvastatin， rats in the Liviol group received 0.23 mg·kg^-1 of liviol， and rats in the model group and the sham-operation group received saline once a day. Micro-computed tomography （Micro CT） was used to detect bone mineral density （BMD） of rat tibia in each group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to detect the relative area of rat bone marrow adipose tissue （BMAT） in each group. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect the relative expression levels of Runt-related transcription factor 2 （Runx2）， peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor （PPARγ）， leptin （LPN）， and leptin receptor （OBR） in bone tissues. ResultAs compared with the sham operation group， the BMD of rats in the model group decreased （P<0.05）， while the relative area of BMAT increased （P<0.05）. In addition， the expression levels of LPN， OBR， and Runx2 decreased in the model group （P<0.05）， while the level of PPARγ increased （P<0.05）. As compared with the model group， the BMD of rats in the atorvastatin group， the Livial group， and the Bushen Huatan prescription group increased （P<0.05）， and the relative area of BMAT decreased （P<0.05）. The expression levels of LPN， OBR， and Runx2 in these groups increased （P<0.05）， while the expression level of PPARγ decreased （P<0.05）. ConclusionBushen Huatan prescription plays the anti-osteoporosis role in the rat model of PMOP through up-regulating LPN and OBR in bone tissues and maintaining the balance of osteogenesis and adipogenic differentiation， thereby reducing postmenopausal bone loss and playing a role in the prevention and treatment of PMOP.