Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 Dec 5;281:114026. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114026. Epub 2021 Mar 13.
Atractylodis rhizoma in Chinese Pharmacopoeia are Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC and Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz. Atractylodes koreana (Nakai) Kitam has not been included in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, however, in the 'dictionary of traditional Chinese medicine', Atractylodes koreana (Nakai) Kitam is often used as Atractylodis rhizoma in the north of China. According to 'Chinese traditional medicine resources', Atractylodes koreana (Nakai) Kitam has the function of drying dampness and strengthening the spleen, dispelling wind and eliminating dampness.
The study was to explore the effect and mechanism of Atractylodes koreana (Nakai) Kitam on rheumatoid arthritis(RA) through intestinal flora and its metabolites(short chain fatty acids).
36 male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups. The Freund's complete adjuvant method was used to reproduce RA model. The contents of inflammatory factors in the plasma of rats were monitored by ELISA method. The pathological changes of synovium were observed. 16SrDNA high-throughput sequence method was used to study the composition and structure of intestinal microflora in each group of rats. Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrum(GC-MS) method was used to determine the content of short chain fatty acids(SCFAs) in colon of rats of each group.
After oral administration of Atractylodes koreana (Nakai) Kitam, the synovial infiltration and vascular proliferation in RA rats were alleviated, the level of TNF - α, IL-1, IL-1 β, IL-2, IL-6, hs-CRP in the plasma of RA rats were declined. RA could cause the disturbance of intestinal flora and SCFAs, Atractylodes koreana (Nakai) Kitam could regulate 8 genera of intestinal flora and improve the disorder of SCFAs.
Atractylodes koreana (Nakai) Kitam has a therapeutic effect on RA, the therapeutic mechanism may be related to down-regulating inflammatory factors and improving the imbalance of intestinal flora and SCFAs.
《中国药典》中的白术为菊科苍术属的茅苍术（北苍术）[Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC]和白术（白术）[Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz.]。朝鲜苍术（Nakai）Kitam 并未被收录于《中国药典》，然而，在《中药大辞典》中，朝鲜苍术（Nakai）Kitam 常被用作中国北方的白术。根据《中国中药资源志要》，朝鲜苍术（Nakai）Kitam 具有燥湿健脾、祛风除湿的功能。
本研究旨在通过肠道菌群及其代谢产物（短链脂肪酸）探讨朝鲜苍术（Nakai）Kitam 对类风湿关节炎（RA）的作用及机制。
将 36 只雄性 SD 大鼠随机分为 6 组。采用完全弗氏佐剂法复制 RA 模型。通过 ELISA 法监测大鼠血浆中炎症因子的含量。观察滑膜的病理变化。采用 16SrDNA 高通量测序法研究各组大鼠肠道菌群的组成和结构。采用气相色谱-质谱（GC-MS）法测定各组大鼠结肠短链脂肪酸（SCFAs）的含量。
经朝鲜苍术（Nakai）Kitam 灌胃后，RA 大鼠滑膜浸润和血管增生减轻，血浆中 TNF-α、IL-1、IL-1β、IL-2、IL-6、hs-CRP 水平下降。RA 可引起肠道菌群和 SCFAs 的紊乱，朝鲜苍术（Nakai）Kitam 可调节 8 个属的肠道菌群，改善 SCFAs 的紊乱。
朝鲜苍术（Nakai）Kitam 对 RA 具有治疗作用，其治疗机制可能与下调炎症因子、改善肠道菌群和 SCFAs 失衡有关。
