Herb-partitioned moxibustion alleviates colon injuries in ulcerative colitis rats

Abstract

AIMTo observe the effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) on expression of colonic cytokines in ulcerative colitis (UC) rats.METHODSA UC rat model was established by protein immunization in combination with topical chemical stimulation. Rats in the HPM group (n = 8) received HPM at bilateral Tianshu (ST25) points. The gross injury and pathological scores of the colon were recorded. The expression profile of colonic cytokines was assayed using the protein microarray technique. Specific differential cytokines were selected and verified by ELISA. The corresponding UniProt Accessions of the differentially expressed cytokines were retrieved in the UniProt database. The pathways involved were analyzed with the help of the KEGG PATHWAY database. The DAVID database was used for functional cluster and pathway analysis.RESULTSHPM improved colon injuries in UC rats, manifested by accelerated repair of ulcers and alleviation of inflammation, and the gross injury and pathological scores both significantly decreased (P < 0.01). Fold change > 1.3 or < 0.77 was taken as the screening standard. There were 77 down-regulated and 9 up-regulated differentially expressed colonic cytokines in the HPM group compared with the model group, and expression of 20 differed significantly (P < 0.05). Twelve of the 20 significantly differentially expressed cytokines [β-catenin, interleukin-1 receptor 6 (IL-1R6), IL-1β, B7-1, nerve growth factor receptor, AMP-activated protein kinase-α1, neuropilin-2, orexin A, adipocyte differentiation-related protein, IL-2, Fas and FasL] were up-regulated in the model group (n = 3, compared with the normal group) but down-regulated in the HPM group (n = 3, compared with the model group). Functional cluster analysis showed that the differentially expressed colonic cytokines in the HPM group regulated apoptosis and protein phosphorylation. KEGG pathway analysis showed that 52 down-regulated and 7 up-regulated differentially expressed colonic cytokines in the HPM group had pathways. The pathways that interacted between the cytokines and their receptors accounted for the largest proportion (28 of the down-regulated and 5 of the up-regulated cytokines).CONCLUSIONHPM promotes the repair of colon injuries in UC rats, which is related to the regulation of several abnormally expressed cytokines.

Chlorogenic Acid Attenuates Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice through MAPK/ERK/JNK Pathway

“…Modern medical treatment of UC is mainly based on drugs such as hormones, sulfonamides, and immunosuppressive agents, which can control its symptoms, but the problems of hormone resistance, side effects, and easy repetition are hard to be resolved [30]. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine ingredients have played an important role in the treatment of ulcerative colitis [31–34]. Studies have shown that hesperidin (flavonoids) may downregulate IL-6 levels in serum by lowering MPO activity and MDA levels in colon tissues [35].…”

Herb-partitioned moxibustion alleviates colonic inflammation in Crohn’s disease rats by inhibiting hyperactivation of the NLRP3 inflammasome via regulation of the P2X7R-Pannexin-1 signaling pathway

“…Russell and Burch (London: Methuen & Co. Ltd; 1959) in the Principles of Humane Experimental Technique (1959) proposed that the 3Rs are similar to ethical considerations applied to any animal experiment by researchers and other institutes conducting these studies [30]. In the case of animal ethics, it is proper to have 3-8 animals per group [31][32][33][34]. Therefore, in this study, 45 rats were randomly divided into five groups by SPSS 25.0 software, with 9 rats in each group: the normal group (NG), model group (MG), herb-partitioned moxibustion group (HPMG), brilliant blue G group (BBG-G) and sham moxibustion group (SMG).…”

Orexins as Novel Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…Recently, it was shown that OX1R was expressed in inflamed mucosa from patients having UC (80), but not in normal mucosa (139). It should be emphasized that an UC rat model reproducing chronic mucosal inflammation by injection of adjuvant mixture containing proteins from UC patients, revealed an upregulation of OXA in colon (140). Moreover, an epidemiologic analysis from narcoleptic patients indicated a higher prevalence of immunopathological diseases, including among others Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (141).…”