Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, Jiangxi, China; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, Jiangxi, China.
Chemical Biology Center, Lishui Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Lishui 323000, Zhejiang, China.
Phytomedicine. 2021 Dec;93:153804. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153804. Epub 2021 Oct 19.
Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxiangru (JXR), a traditional Chinese medicine, commonly used for the therapy of cold, fever, diarrhea, digestive disorders, and other diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder of the human gastrointestinal tract. Research about the effect of JXR on IBD and the active ingredient composition of JXR remains deficiency.
This study aims to determine the phytochemical composition and the anti-inflammatory property of JXR, as well as the possible anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
The bioactive profile of JXR extracts was determined by UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS. A DSS induced colitis mouse model was applied to explore the anti-inflammatory activity of JXR. The body weight, colon length and histopathological status of colon tissue were evaluated. The content of inflammatory mediators (nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E (PGE)) and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β)), corresponding mRNA and protein expression levels were analyzed. Oxidation pressure and gut microbial composition were also explored.
Totally 63 constitutes were identified from JXR, among them, phenolic acids and flavonoids comprised a large part, and rosmarinic acid (RA) was the main compound. The results of DSS-induced colitis mice model indicated that JXR effectively ameliorated inflammation, restore the redox balance in the gut. JXR treatment significantly reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased the activity of antioxidative enzyme, suppressed the secretion of inflammatory mediators (NO, PGE) and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β). JXR also restrained the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathway. Furthermore, JXR could restore the microbial diversity by suppressing Bacteroidaceae, increasing Bifidobacteriales and Melainabacteria in DSS colitis mouse model.
This study demonstrated that JXR composed with various bioactive compounds, effectively ameliorated colitis, restored the redox balance and regulated gut microbiota. Results from the present study provide an insight of therapeutic potential of JXR in IBD based on its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, also provide a scientific basis for using JXR as a functional ingredient to promote colon health.
荆香茹（JXR）是一种传统中药，常用于治疗感冒、发烧、腹泻、消化紊乱等疾病。炎症性肠病（IBD）是一种慢性人类胃肠道疾病。关于 JXR 对 IBD 的影响及其 JXR 活性成分组成的研究仍然不足。
本研究旨在确定 JXR 的植物化学成分和抗炎特性，以及可能的抗炎机制。
采用 UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS 测定 JXR 提取物的生物活性谱。应用 DSS 诱导的结肠炎小鼠模型探讨 JXR 的抗炎活性。评估体重、结肠长度和结肠组织的组织病理学状态。分析炎症介质（一氧化氮（NO）、前列腺素 E（PGE））和细胞因子（肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白细胞介素-6（IL-6）和白细胞介素-1β（IL-1β））的含量以及相应的 mRNA 和蛋白表达水平。还探讨了氧化压力和肠道微生物组成。
从 JXR 中鉴定出 63 种成分，其中包括酚酸和类黄酮，以迷迭香酸（RA）为主。DSS 诱导的结肠炎小鼠模型的结果表明，JXR 能有效改善炎症，恢复肠道氧化还原平衡。JXR 治疗可显著降低活性氧（ROS）的产生，增加抗氧化酶的活性，抑制炎症介质（NO、PGE）和细胞因子（TNF-α、IL-6、IL-1β）的分泌。JXR 还抑制丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPKs）信号通路的激活。此外，JXR 可以通过抑制 DSS 结肠炎小鼠模型中的拟杆菌科，增加双歧杆菌和 Melainabacteria 来恢复微生物多样性。
本研究表明，JXR 含有多种生物活性化合物，能有效改善结肠炎，恢复氧化还原平衡，调节肠道微生物群。本研究结果为 JXR 基于其抗炎和抗氧化特性在 IBD 中的治疗潜力提供了新的见解，也为将 JXR 作为促进结肠健康的功能成分提供了科学依据。
