Effect of Compound Huankuile Suspension on ulcerative colitis in rats and the therapeutic mechanism

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of Huankuile (HKL) suspension, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicinal preparation, for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats and explore its therapeutic mechanism. Methods Fifty male Wistar rats were randomized into normal control group, UC model group, HKL suspension intervention group, and 5-amino acid (5-ASA) intervention group. Except for those in the normal control group, all the rats were subjected to colonic enema with 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) and ethanol to induce UC, followed by drug treatment for 14 d. The colonic injury index (CMDI) and pathological scores of the colon tissues were assessed, and the histopathological changes in the colon was observed with HE staining. The mRNA and protein expression levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-17, IL-10, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the colon tissues were detected using real-time PCR and ELISA. Results Compared with those in the normal control group, the rats in the UC model group had markedly higher CMDI and pathological scores in the colon tissues (P 0.05). Conclusion HKL can effectively improve the symptoms and colonic injury in rats with TNBS-induced UC possibly by down-regulating the pro-inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-17 and up-regulating the anti-inflammatory factor TGF-β1.

Keywords

• compound huankuile suspension
• ulcerative colitis
• pro-inflammatory factors
• anti-inflammatory factors