Qingchi San treats ulcerative colitis in mice by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway and Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasome formation

Zhou Zhenghua; J I Jianbin; Wang Hongxia; Yan Lin; Kang Hongchang

doi:10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20220928.001

Qingchi San treats ulcerative colitis in mice by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway and Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasome formation

J Tradit Chin Med. 2023 Feb;43(1):68-77. doi: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20220928.001.

Authors

Zhou Zhenghua^{1

2}, J I Jianbin^{1

2}, Wang Hongxia^{1

2}, Yan Lin^{1

2}, Kang Hongchang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300381, China.
² 2 National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin 300381, China.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: To investigate the efficacy of Qingchi San (青赤散,QCS), a preparation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, on ulcerative colitis (UC)in mice by inhibiting the nuclearfactor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) infla-mmasome formation.

METHODS:: The UC model was established with male C57BL/6J as the animal model. Bodyweight, Disease Activity Index (DAI), colon length and weight were detected. Furthermore, colonic histology was performed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression were conducted by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). NF-κB, inhibitor of NF-κBα (iκBα), Phosphorylated inhibitor of NF-κBα (p-iκBα), caspase-1, NLRP3 and Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) protein expression were conducted by Western blotting.

RESULTS:: Compared with UC model group, Bodyweight was significantly increased in QCS treatment. At the same time, DAI was significantly decreased in QCS treatment. Colon length and weight and colonic histology were significantly improved in QCS treatment. Furth-ermore, the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MPO, SOD, COX2, and iNOS were significantly decreased in QCS treatment. Finally, the expression of NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins NF-κB, iκBα, p-iκBα, and the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome related proteins caspase-1, NLRP3 and ASC were significantly decreased in QCS treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:: Traditional Chinese drug QCS could treat UC by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome formation in mice.

Keywords: NF-kappa B; NLR family; Qingchi San; colitis ulcerative; disease activity index; inflammasomes; pyrin domain-containing 3 protein.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Colitis, Ulcerative* / drug therapy
Colitis, Ulcerative* / genetics
Inflammasomes*
Leucine
Mice
NF-kappa B / genetics
NF-kappa B / metabolism
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / genetics
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / metabolism
Nucleotides
Pyrin Domain
Signal Transduction

Substances

Inflammasomes
NF-kappa B
Leucine
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
Nucleotides