“…Isoquinoline alkaloids are classes of medicinally active alkaloids formed from a precursor of 3,4-dihydroxytyramine (dopamine) linked to an aldehyde or ketone with multiple properties including antispasmodic, antimicrobial, antitumor, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, cholagogue, hepatoprotective, antiviral, amebicidal, and anti-oxidant activities (Iranshahy et al, 2014). Berberine ( 7 ), a well-known representative of this type of alkaloid mainly isolated from traditional Chinese medicines Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron chinense , has been reported to possess the ability to protect experimental colitis through regulating innate and adaptive immune responses, intestinal barrier function and the gut microbiota (Lee et al, 2010; Yan et al, 2012; Kawano et al, 2015; Li et al, 2015, 2016; Lv Z. et al, 2015; Zhang et al, 2017; Cui et al, 2018; Jing et al, 2018; Liu et al, 2018). Among these reports, Yan et al (2012) revealed that oral administration of berberine (100 mg/kg of body weight in mice) significantly ameliorated DSS-induced intestinal injury and colitis associated with decreasing the disruption of barrier function and apoptosis of colon epithelium, thus inhibiting the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α, IFN-γ, KC, and IL-17 production of colonic macrophages and promoting the apoptosis of colonic macrophages through down-regulating the activation of MAPK and NF-κB (Yan et al, 2012).…”