The Experimental Exploration of TCM Theory “Treating the Same Disease with Different Approaches” on an Ulcerative Colitis Model

Abstract

There is a relationship between lung injury and ulcerative colitis. Currently, traditional Chinese medicine (Huangqi Jiegeng (HQJGD) and Huangqi Huanglian decoctions (HQHLD)) is commonly used for UC-related lung injury; however, the mechanisms of these drugs remain unclear. In this study, UC models were established with the mucous membrane of colon allergize combined with TNBS-alcohol enteroclysis for 4 weeks. The pathological changes in the lung, intestine, liver, and kidney were observed; cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules in lung tissue were detected in order to explore the immunological mechanism of UC-related lung injury and the intervention mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating the lung and intestine in the immune-TNBS-ethanol rat model. Histology examinations demonstrated evident pathological changes in the lungs and intestines of the model groups. Furthermore, all groups treated with TCMs demonstrated reduced expressions of toll-like receptor 4, nuclear factor kappa-B, and macrophage migration inhibitory factor. Additionally, radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemistry showed tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and 8 expression downregulation. The results showed that HQJGD and HQHLD could alleviate pulmonary inflammation in UC-related lung injury by obviously improving the pathology and fibrosis of the lung, inhibiting the positive feedback loop of MIF/NF-κB, and reducing lymphocyte homing to bronchial mucosa. This model revealed the immune mechanism of UC-related lung injury and the intervention mechanism of the Chinese medicine, which provided the rationale for treating ulcerative colitis clinically, so as to demonstrate the theory of “the lung and the large intestine being interior-exteriorly related” and “treating the same disease with different approaches.”

Homotherapy for Heteropathy: A Molecular Mechanism of Poria Sini Decoction for Treatment of Liver Cancer and Chronic Heart Failure

“…As the essence of syndrome differentiation and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine, the theory of “homotherapy for heteropathy” also plays an important guiding role in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of traditional Chinese medicine [ 17 ]. The interpretation of “homotherapy for heteropathy” generally means that the same methods are adopted to cure different diseases showing similar symptoms during the development process, which fully reflects the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in holistic and comprehensive treatment [ 18 , 19 ].…”

The traditional Chinese medicine and non-small cell lung cancer: from a gut microbiome perspective

“…Chinese medicine believes that “the lung and large intestine are interior-exteriorly related” ( Ni et al., 2022 ). The hypothesis of the lung-gut axis, which modern medicine has advanced, corresponds to the Chinese medical theory of the “lung and large intestine being interior-exteriorly related.” The lungs and large intestine can work together to modulate immunity and inflammation through the lung-gut axis, in which the movement of the gut microbiota and metabolites is the most important communication mechanism ( Figure 2 ).…”