Zhang Xinyu, Cai Jiapei, Chen Lei, Tai Jiandong, Liu Jiuxi, Cao Yongguo
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
Department of Colorectal & Anal Surgery, General Surgery Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 130021 Changchun, China.
Phytomedicine. 2025 Oct;146:157138. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2025.157138. Epub 2025 Aug 5.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the colon. Gastrodia elata Blume (G. elata), a traditional herbal medicine from the Orchidaceae family, has notable anti-inflammatory effects. But its treatment potential and underlying mechanisms in UC have not been fully elucidated.
This study was undertaken to investigate the underlying protective mechanisms of G. elata extract and its primary bioactive component, gastrodin (GAS), against UC.
The colitis mice model was developed through DSS drinking and oral treatment with G. elata extract and GAS. 16S rRNA was performed to investigate the mechanisms associated with the gut microbiota, while untargeted metabolomics was employed to assess alterations in metabolic pathway profiles.
G. elata extract demonstrated significant efficacy in alleviating colitis symptoms, with GAS identified as its principal active constituent. The results indicated that GAS exerts its protective effected in a manner closely related to the gut microbiota. Analysis of 16S rRNA revealed GAS specifically enriched A. muciniphila populations. Subsequent administration of live A. muciniphila recapitulated the anti-colitis effects of GAS. Metabolomic profiling revealed 19 co-upregulated metabolites, with cucurbitacin E and antcin K identified as key metabolites within the pathways modulated by A. muciniphila.
G. elata ameliorated colitis through a novel 'herbal monomer‒microbiota‒metabolite' axis, enriching A. muciniphila and enhancing the levels of key anti-inflammatory metabolites. These findings provided evidence the traditional application of G. elata and its active ingredient GAS as a promising microbiota-targeting therapy for UC.
溃疡性结肠炎（UC）是一种结肠的慢性炎症性疾病。天麻（Gastrodia elata Blume，G. elata）是一种来自兰科的传统草药，具有显著的抗炎作用。但其在UC中的治疗潜力和潜在机制尚未完全阐明。
本研究旨在探讨天麻提取物及其主要生物活性成分天麻素（GAS）对UC的潜在保护机制。
通过饮用DSS建立结肠炎小鼠模型，并对其进行天麻提取物和GAS的口服治疗。采用16S rRNA技术研究与肠道微生物群相关的机制，同时采用非靶向代谢组学评估代谢途径谱的变化。
天麻提取物在减轻结肠炎症状方面显示出显著疗效，GAS被确定为其主要活性成分。结果表明，GAS以与肠道微生物群密切相关的方式发挥其保护作用。16S rRNA分析显示，GAS特异性富集了嗜黏蛋白阿克曼菌种群。随后给予活的嗜黏蛋白阿克曼菌可重现GAS的抗结肠炎作用。代谢组学分析揭示了19种共同上调的代谢物，葫芦素E和蚁巢伞素K被确定为嗜黏蛋白阿克曼菌调节途径中的关键代谢物。
天麻通过一种新的“草药单体-微生物群-代谢物”轴改善结肠炎，富集嗜黏蛋白阿克曼菌并提高关键抗炎代谢物的水平。这些发现为天麻及其活性成分GAS作为一种有前景的针对UC的微生物群靶向疗法的传统应用提供了证据。
