Huaihuasan Alleviates Inflammatory Responses in Rat Model of Ulcerative Colitis Due to Dampness-heat in Large Intestine by Regulating TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20250724
- VernacularTitle:槐花散通过调节TLR4/NF-κB信号通路减轻溃疡性结肠炎大鼠大肠湿热证炎症反应的机制
- Author:
Yanyan WANG
1
;
Weiyi SUN
2
;
Zuowu XI
3
Author Information
1. Henan University of Chinese Medicine， Zhengzhou 450046，China
2. The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine， Zhengzhou 450000，China
3. Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine， Zhengzhou 450002，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Huaihuasan;
Toll-like receptor 4/ nuclear factor-κB （TLR4/NF-κB） signaling pathway;
ulcerative colitis;
syndrome of dampness-heat in the large intestine;
inflammatory response
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2025;31(24):1-10
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveThis study aims to systematically evaluate the therapeutic effects of Huaihuasan on ulcerative colitis （UC） in the rats with the syndrome of dampness-heat in the large intestine and explore the potential mechanisms of action. MethodsA rat model of UC due to dampness-heat in the large intestine was successfully established by combining traditional Chinese medicine etiology with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid （TNBS）/ethanol solution. Rats were randomly allocated into a normal group， a model group， a high-dose （10.58 g·kg-1·d-1） Huaihuasan group， a medium-dose （5.29 g·kg-1·d-1） Huaihuasan group， a low-dose （2.65 g·kg-1·d-1） Huaihuasan group， and a sulfasalazine （0.35 g·kg-1·d-1） group. The body weight changes and the diarrhea and bloody stool scores of the rats in each group were recorded. In addition， pathological changes of the colon tissue were observed to evaluate the therapeutic effects on the intestinal damage and inflammatory infiltration. Immunohistochemistry and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR were employed to determine the expression levels of zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1） and Occludin in the colon tissue， the serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， myeloid differentiation primary response 88 （MyD88）， and nuclear factor-κB p65 subunit （NF-κB p65） in the colorectum， and the mRNA levels of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB p65， and IL-6 in the intestinal tissue. ResultsCompared with the model group， Huaihuasan effectively slowed down the trend of body weight loss （P<0.01）， mitigated diarrhea and bloody stool symptoms， reduce the disease activity index （DAI） （P<0.01）， restored the length of the colon （P<0.01）， and promoted the recovery of the colon tissue. The immunohistochemistry results showed that compared with the model group， Huaihuasan intervention promoted the expression of ZO-1 and Occludin （P<0.05）， reduced the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and down-regulated the protein levels of TLR4， MyD88， and NF-κB p65 in the colon tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01） and the mRNA levels of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB p65， and downstream IL-6 （P<0.05）. ConclusionHuaihuasan exerts significant therapeutic effects on UC due to dampness-heat in the large intestine by modulating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway， reducing inflammatory mediator levels， and enhancing the intestinal barrier function. These findings provide theoretical support for the clinical application and mechanism study of Huaihuasan in the treatment of UC.
