The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory disease characterized by CD4[Formula: see text] T cell-mediated immune cell infiltration and demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). The subtypes of CD4[Formula: see text] T cells are T helper cells 1 (Th1), Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cells (Treg), while three other types of cells besides Th2 play a key role in MS and its classic animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Tregs are responsible for immunosuppression, while pathogenic Th1 and Th17 cells cause autoimmune-associated demyelination. ⋯ The active ingredients in AR include astragalus flavones, polysaccharides, and saponins. In this study, it was found that the total flavonoids of Astragus (TFA) could effectively treat EAE in mice by ameliorating EAE motor disorders, reducing inflammatory damage and demyelination, inhibiting the proportion of Th17 and Th1 cells, and promoting Tregs differentiation by regulating the JAK/STAT and NF[Formula: see text]B signaling pathways. This novel finding may increase the possibility of using AR or TFA as a drug with immunomodulatory effects for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
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Rhizoma coptidis (CR) is traditionally used for treating gastrointestinal diseases. Wine-processed CR (wCR), zingiber-processed CR (zCR), and evodia-processed CR (eCR) are its major processed products. However, the related study of their specific mechanisms is very limited, and they need to be further clarified. ⋯ Together with the correlation analysis between metabolites and gut microbiota, the potential intervening mechanism of wCR/zCR/eCR was explored. The results suggested that wCR played a good role in maintaining immune homeostasis, promoting glycolysis, and reducing cholesterol; zCR had a better effect on protecting the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier, preventing gastric ulcers, and reducing body cholesterol; eCR was good at protecting the integrity of the intestinal mucus barrier and promoting glycolysis. This study scientifically elucidated the intervening mechanism of wCR/zCR/eCR from the perspective of faecal metabolites and gut microbiota, providing a new insight into the processing mechanism research of Chinese herbs.
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Andrographolide (AND) is a bioactive component of the herb Andrographis paniculata and a well-known anti-inflammatory agent. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the vasculature, and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) is thought to contribute heavily to atherosclerosis-associated inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether AND mitigates oxLDL-mediated foam cell formation and diet-induced atherosclerosis (in mice fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-cholic acid [HFCCD] diet) and the underlying mechanisms involved. ⋯ HFCCD feeding significantly increased aortic lipid accumulation, ICAM-1 expression, and IL-1[Formula: see text] mRNA expression, as well as blood levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), total cholesterol, and LDL-C. AND co-administration mitigated aortic lipid accumulation, the protein expression of ICAM-1, mRNA expression of IL-1[Formula: see text] and ICAM-1, and blood levels of GPT. These results suggest that the working mechanisms by which AND mitigates atherosclerosis involve the inhibition of foam cell formation and NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent vascular inflammation as evidenced by decreased SR-A expression and IL-1[Formula: see text] release, respectively.
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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a recurrent disease associated with a potential risk of colorectal cancer. Abelmoschus manihot (AM), a Chinese herbal medicine, is known to alleviate IBD. However, its mechanism of action requires further clarification. ⋯ A gut microbial sequencing analysis showed that gut microbial dysbiosis was modulated by AM intervention. The regulatory effects of AM on Eggerthellaceae, Sutterellaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Burkholderiaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, and Enterococcaceae were dependent on IL-10. These results revealed that AM ameliorated IBD and modulated gut microbes by promoting IL-10 secretion, indicating that AM has the potential to improve IBD and that AM is IL-10-dependent.
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Coptis chinensis Franch (RC), has historically been used for the treatment of "Xiao Ke" and "Xia Li" symptoms in China. "Xia Li" is characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea, which are similar to the clinical symptoms of ulcerative colitis (UC). For the first time, this study aims to compare the anti-colitis effects of berberine (BBR) and total RC alkaloids (TRCA) and investigate the underlying metabolites and gut microbiota biomarkers. Metabolomics results showed that several colitis-related biomarkers, including lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine, lysophosphatidylcholine, scopolamine-methyl-bromide, N1-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide, 4-hydroxyretinoic acid, and malic acid, were significantly improved in model mice after BBR and TRCA treatments. ⋯ Additionally, BBR and TRCA significantly decreased the richness of the pathogenic bacteria Bacteroides acidifaciens but increased the abundance of the probiotic Lactobacillus spp. Notably, TRCA exhibited superior anti-colitis effects to those of BBR. Thus, this agent warrants further study and application in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in the clinic.